WASHINGTON CAPITALS NOTES:
LAST GAME
Washington 3, Calgary Flames 0
November 25, 2022 * Capital One Arena * Washington, D.C.
Shots: WSH: 25; CGY: 32
Power Plays: WSH: 1/2; CGY: 0/2
Three Stars: 1. Kuemper (WSH), 2. Oshie (WSH), 3. Kuznetsov (WSH)
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Loaned forward Connor McMichael to AHL Hershey, 11/20
CAPITALS MILESTONES WITHIN REACH
Alex Ovechkin – 4 games shy of 1,300 career games; 9 goals shy of 800 career goals; 11 goals shy of passing Gordie Howe for second on the NHL’s all-time goals list Lars Eller – 1 assist shy of 200 career assists; 10 games shy of 900 career games Dmitry Orlov – 2 goals shy of passing Al Iafrate (58) for the ninth-most goals by a defenseman in franchise history Evgeny Kuznetsov – 4 assists shy of passing Bengt Gustafsson (359) for the eighth-most assists in franchise history Charlie Lindgren – 17 saves shy of 1,000 career saves Garnet Hathaway – 5 games shy of 400 career games Dylan Strome – 5 games shy of 300 career games Nic Dowd – 7 games shy of 400 career games
CAPITALS MILESTONES RECENTLY ACHIEVED
John Carlson – Played 900th career game, 11/17 at STL; Recorded 600th career point and passed Michal Pivonka for the fifth-most points in franchise history, 11/11 vs. TBL Alex Ovechkin – Passed Bryan Trottier (1,425) for the 18th-most points in NHL history, 11/17 at STL Evgeny Kuznetsov – Passed Peter Bondra (353) for the ninth-most assists in franchise history, 11/13 at TBL
INJURIES/ILLNESSES
Nicklas Backstrom: 10/12-11/25 (22 games)
Washington Capitals: Media Notes
Carl Hagelin: 10/12-11/25 (22 games)
Tom Wilson: 10/12-11/25 (22 games)
Connor Brown: 10/20/22-11/25/22 (18 games)
Beck Malenstyn: 11/3/22-11/25/22 (11 games)
Dmitry Orlov: 11/7/22-11/25/22 (9 games)
T.J. Oshie: 10/31/22-11/19/22 (11 games)
John Carlson: 10/31/22-11/9/22 (6 games)
Man Games Lost: 121
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Nov. 29, 10 p.m. ET at Vancouver (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Dec. 1, 10 p.m. ET at Seattle (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Dec. 3, 10 p.m. ET at Calgary (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Dec. 5, 8:30 p.m. ET at Edmonton (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Dec. 7, 7 p.m. ET at Philadelphia (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
TONIGHT’S GAME
The Capitals visit the New Jersey Devils on Saturday at Prudential Center for the second of four meetings between the teams this season. Saturday’s contest marks the first game of a season-long six-game road trip for Washington. The Capitals defeated the Devils 6-3 on Oct. 24 in New Jersey, receiving goals from six different players, including four in the second period. Washington has earned at least one point in 12-straight games against New Jersey (11-0-1), their longest active point streak versus a single opponent (courtesy of NHL Stats). Washington is 124-77-13-16 all-time vs. New Jersey and 26-3-3 in their last 32 games against the Devils dating back to the 2015-16 season. In addition, the Capitals have won six-straight games at New Jersey and have a record of 13-2-1 in their last 16 games at Prudential Center. In 2021-22, Washington won the season series with New Jersey 2-0-1.
AWAY vs. NEW JERSEY DEVILS
Record Goals For Goals Against Streak
53-47-7-7 337 329 6 WSH wins (2/27/21-
10/24/22)
CAPITALS vs. DEVILS ALL-TIME (CAREER TOTALS)
Games Goals Assists Points
Ovechkin (69) Ovechkin (38) Backstrom (40) Ovechkin (77)
Backstrom (59) Backstrom (18) Ovechkin (39) Backstrom (58)
Carlson (51) Kuznetsov (10) Carlson (32) Carlson (40)
TOP CAPS FACTS
HistOvi
- Alex Ovechkin scored his eleventh goal of the season on Friday against Calgary, his second-straight game with a goal. Ovechkin has recorded seven points (3g, 4a) in his last four games.
- It marked Ovechkin’s 791st career goal. Ovechkin is nine goals shy of becoming the third player in NHL history to score 800 career goals and 11 goals shy of passing Gordie Howe (801) for second on the NHL’s all-time goals list.
- Ovechkin ranks first in NHL history in power play goals (291) and overtime goals (25), second in game-winning goals (123), road goals (401) and multi-goal games (159), and fourth in even strength goals (495).
- Ovechkin also recorded an assist on Friday, marking his second-straight two-point game and his 402nd career multi-point game. Ovechkin is two multi-point games shy of passing Stan Mikita (403) for the 14th most in NHL history.
- Ovechkin has recorded 21 points (11g, 10a) in 22 games this season, which leads the Capitals.
- Ovechkin is on pace to score 41 goals this season. Should Ovechkin reach the 30-goal mark, it would mark his 17th career 30-goal season, tying him with Mike Gartner for the most in NHL history.
Missed You Osh Babe
- T.J. Oshie recorded his second-straight multi-point game (1g, 1a) on Friday against Calgary.
- Oshie scored the game’s first goal, marking his is 32nd game-opening goal since joining the Capitals in 2015-16. Only Alex Ovechkin (43) has more with the club over that span (courtesy of NHL Stats).
- In the two games since returning to the Capitals’ lineup on Wednesday against Philadelphia, Oshie has recorded four points (1g, 3a).
- Oshie, who missed 11-straight games due to injury, has recorded nine points (3g, 6a) in 11 games this season.
- Since the start of the 2020-21 season, the Capitals are 67-29-12 (.676 point percentage) with Oshie in the lineup and 36-12-6 (.722 point percentage) when he records a point.
- In games without Oshie since 2020-21, the Capitals have a record of 22-22-8 (.500 point percentage).
Chuck Stops Here
- Goaltender Charlie Lindgren is expected to start for the Capitals against New Jersey.
- Lindgren recorded his first win as a Capital on Oct. 24 against the Devils, stopping 38 of 41 shots faced. Lindgren’s 38 saves were tied for the third-most saves he has made in a game in his career.
- Lindgren enters Saturday’s game 17 saves shy of 1,000 career saves.
- Lindgren has posted a 2-1-2 record with a 3.13 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage in six games this season. In 35 career games, Lindgren has a record of 17-3-4 with a 2.80 goals-against average, a .912 save percentage and two shutouts.
Bright and Sonny
- Sonny Milano recorded two assists on Wednesday against Calgary, his second multi-point game of the season.
- Milano has recorded seven points (3g, 4a) in 10 games with Washington. Four of Milano’s seven points have come in the third period of games.
Gus Bus
- Erik Gustafsson recorded an assist on Friday against Calgary, his second-straight game with an assist.
- Gustafsson’s nine assists this season rank tied for first among Capitals defensemen (Nick Jensen: 9).
- Gustafsson has recorded a 53.8 shot attempt percentage (358 shot attempts for, 307 shot attempts against) in 22 games this season, which ranks second on the Capitals (min. 5 GP).
Metro Matchup
- Saturday’s game marks Washington’s fifth game against a Metropolitan Division opponent this season (2-1-1). The Capitals have earned at least one point in three of their four division games, including a win against first-place New Jersey on Oct. 24.
- Last season, the Capitals tied for the second-best record (16-9-1, .635 point percentage) among Metropolitan Division teams in division games.
Homecoming
- John Carlson has recorded 40 points (8g, 32a) in 51 career games against the Devils, the most points he has recorded against a single franchise.
- In 16 games this season, Carlson has recorded 11 points (5g, 6a) and leads the Capitals in time on ice per game (23:20).
- Since 2017-18, Carlson ranks first in the NHL in points among defensemen (75g-264a—339p), holding a 20-point lead over the next closest defensemen (Roman Josi: 319 points).
Who’s Next?
- Alex Ovechkin’s goal on Wednesday against Philadelphia marked his first career goal against Felix Sandstrom, the 164th different goaltender Ovechkin has scored on in his career.
- Ovechkin’s 164 goaltenders scored on is tied with Mark Messier for the third most in NHL history and trails only Jaromir Jagr (178) and Patrick Marleau (177). Among these players, Marleau ranks first in NHL history in games played, Messier third and Jagr fourth. Ovechkin ranks tied for 66th.
Player Number of Goaltenders Scored On Games Played
Jaromir Jagr 178 1,733
Patrick Marleau 177 1,779
Alex Ovechkin 164 1,296
Mark Messier 164 1,756
- Ovechkin has never scored on Vitek Vanecek or Akira Schmid.
At The Dot
- The Capitals have won 52.4 percent of their faceoffs since Nov. 1, which is the ninth-highest win percentage in the NHL in that span.
- Since Nov. 1, Washington has won 54.1 percent of their draws in the defensive zone, which ranks seventh in the NHL.
- Nic Dowd won 11 of 18 faceoffs (61.1%) on Friday against Calgary, which led the team. Lars Eller finished with seven faceoffs wins in 3 draws taken (53.8%) and Dylan Strome finished with eight faceoff wins in 15 draws taken (53.3%).
- Eller has won 60.1 percent of his faceoffs since Nov. 1, which ranks third in the NHL during that span (min. 125 faceoffs taken).
- During that same span, Eller ranks first in the NHL in defensive zone faceoff win percentage (66.7%) and fourth in defensive zone faceoff win percentage (62.7%).
- Nic Dowd ranks second on the Capitals with a 52.8 faceoff win percentage since Nov. 1.
Heavy Hitters
- Washington’s 621 hits this season are the second most in the NHL.
- The Capitals are on pace to record 2,314 hits this season, which would mark the franchise’s second-highest single-season total since the NHL began tracking hits in 2005-06 (2014-15: 2,335 hits)
- The Capitals have out hit their opponents in 14 of their 22 games.
- Garnet Hathaway leads the Capitals with 85 hits this season and ranks second in the NHL. Martin Fehervary ranks seventh in the NHL with 76 hits, while Alex Ovechkin ranks tied for 12th with 66.
Penalty Skill
- The Capitals have killed off 44 of 52 power plays (84.6 percent) over their last 16 games, dating back to Oct. 22. During that span, Washington’s 84.6 penalty kill percentage ranks fourth in the NHL.
- Washington has drawn 102 penalties this season – the second most in the NHL – and their +15 net penalty differential ranks first in the NHL.
- Garnet Hathaway leads the Capitals and ranks eighth in the NHL with 12 drawn penalties this season, while Nic Dowd ranks tied for ninth with 11.
Shot Suppression
- The Capitals have allowed fewer than 30 shots in eight of their last 11 games. During that span, which began on Nov. 3, the Capitals have recorded a 53.8 shot attempt percentage at five-on-five (551 shot attempts for, 474 shot attempts against), which ranks eighth in the NHL.
Comeback Caps
- The Capitals overcame a one-goal deficit in the third period to defeat the Flyers 3-2 in overtime on Wednesday. It marked Washington’s third win this season when trailing after two periods, which is tied for the third most in the NHL.
Did You Know?
- Darcy Kuemper stopped all 32 shots faced on Wednesday against Calgary, earning his 27th career shutout. In 11 career games versus the Flames, Kuemper has posted a record of 7-2-1 with a 1.61 goals-against average, a .953 save percentage and four shutouts.
- Kuemper’s two shutouts this season rank tied for second in the NHL.
- The Capitals are 9-1-1 when scoring three or more goals this season.
NEW JERSEY DEVILS NOTES:
LAST GAME
New Jersey Devils 3 Buffalo Sabres 1
(17-4-0—34 PTS) (9-12-0—18 PTS)
Three Stars: 1. J. Hughes 2. N. Hischier 3. C. Anderson
Goals:
BUF: V. Olofsson
SCORE 1
ST 2
ND 3
RD OT SO FINAL
Buffalo 0 1 0 – – 1
DEVILS 0 3 0 – – 3
NJD: J. Hughes, J. Boqvist, T. TatarINJURIES/ILLNESS
PLAYER INJURY OUT SINCE GAMES MISSED
Jonathan Bernier – LTIR Lower-body, hip 2021-22 21 Ondrej Palat I.R. Lower-body Retro-active to Oct. 24 15 Mackenzie Blackwood Lower-Body, MCL sprain Nov. 3 10 2022-23 Total Man-Games Lost to Injury/illness: 51
Jersey’s team witnessed the start of the team’s second overall back-to-back set for the 2022-23 campaign on Friday. The team is now 1-1-0 in the first half of a back-to-back set for 2022-23, while the team is 1-0-0 in second games played for this matter. Jersey’s team extended its winning streak on the road to nine games, which is tied for the second-longest in franchise history. The Devils’ longest road winning streaks are below:
10 Feb. 27, 2001-Apr. 7.
9 Oct. 8, 2009-Nov. 12
9 Oct. 20, 2022-PRESENT
After Friday’s win, the Devils improved to 14-0-0 when leading after two periods of play this season, which ranks first in the NHL, while Boston ranks second at 12-0-0.
The team is 11-1-0 for the month of November, which set the franchise record for the most wins in November: 10 wins:
1997-98 (10-4-0).
After Friday’s win, the Devils are now 14-4-0 when outshooting an opponent this season.
After Friday’s win, the team improved to 11-3-0 when the team scores first in a game this season.
Keep in mind…Jersey’s team is 15-0-0 when Nico Hischier recorded a point in a game this season and 7-0-0 when Jack Hughes scored a goal in a game for 2022-23.
Head coach Lindy Ruff earned his 799th career victory at his old stomping grounds in Buffalo. Only four other NHL coaches all-time are in the
“800 club.”
S. Bowman: 1,244 wins
Joel Quenneville: 969 wins
Barry Trotz: 914 wins
Ken Hitchcock: 849 wins
The Devils are 14-1-0 since the team last played Washington on Oct. 24. The team’s 14 wins since that time are the most in the NHL, while Boston ranks second with a 13-2-0 record. New Jersey netted three, second-period goals on Friday night at Buffalo which marked 30 second-period goals overall for the 2022-23 season. That marker ranks second in the NHL behind Pittsburgh (31 goals, 2nd period). As of Nov. 26, the Devils ranked first in the NHL in shots against, per game at 25.2, while Carolina ranks second at 26.1. Additionally, as Nov. 26, the Devils are ranked second for shots on goal, per game, at 36.7 behind the Florida Panthers (40.4). Since 1994-95, the franchise’s first Stanley Cup championship, the Devils have finished a season averaging under 25 shots against, per game seven times:
23.7 1997-98
24.7 1998-99
24.7 2000-01
23.2 2001-02
23.6 2002-03
24.4 2003-04
23.1 2012-13
The team clinched a playoff berth in six of those seasons, while winning a Stanley Cup championship in 2002-03, plus advancing to the Stanley Cup final in 2000-01. The team didn’t clinch a playoff berth in the shortened (lockout year) in 2012-13. Since 1994-95, the team’s highest shots per game total is 33.1, which was earned in 1999-00. The team then won its second Stanley Cup championship. The Devils officially announced and revealed their second-ever Adidas Reverse Retro sweater, which turns back the clock and nods to the franchise’s Colorado roots. The team is scheduled to wear the sweaters four times this season and twice on the road:
Dec. 3, at PHI, 7:00 P.M.
Dec. 9, vs NYI, 7:00 P.M.
Dec. 30, at PIT, 7:00 P.M.
Jan. 7, vs NYR, 1:00 P.M.
2022-23 TEAM STATS
RECORD ON DAYS OF THE WEEK
The Devils record on Saturday in 2022-23…4-1-0…at home: 2-1-0…road: 2-0-0
Record in night games in 2022-23…14-4-0…home: 6-3-0…road: 8-1-0
Record in day games in 2022-23…3-0-0…home: 2-0-0…road: 1-0-0
2022-23 Alternate jersey record…2-0-0
RECORD WHEN SCORING FIRST
Scoring first…11-3-0…Trailing first…6-1-0
GOALS BY PERIOD
PERIOD GOALS FOR/AGAINST DIFFERENTIAL
1 20-15 +5
2 30-20 +10
3 24-12 +12
OT 3-0 +3
TOTAL 77-47 +30
As of Nov. 26, the team’s +30 goal differential ranked second in the NHL, while Boston ranked first with a +37 differential.
BACK-TO-BACK GAMES
First game: 1-1-0 | home: 0-1-1 | road: 1-0-0
Second game: 1-0-0 | home: 0-0-0 | road: 1-0-0
AROUND THE RINK THE RINK
On Mon. Nov. 21, the Devils hosted their annual Hockey Fights Cancer Night. FUNDS RAISED WILL BENEFIT DAVID E. ZULLO PEDIATRIC PALLIATIVE CARE PROGRAM AT BRISTOL MYERS SQUIBB CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL AT ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL, AN RWJBARNABAS HEALTH FACILITY. The Devils hosted nine-year-old Richard “RJ” Ferguson, a cancer patient and lifelong Devils fan, and his family at the game. RJ, from Middletown, New Jersey, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in May 2022 and continues his treatment at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey.
VS WASHINGTON
The Devils and Washington face-off for the second of four matchups this season between the Metropolitan Division foes:
Mar. 9, at WSH, 7:00 P.M.
Apr. 13, at WSH, 7:00 P.M.
The last time the Devils won a season series vs Washington was 2013-14, after the Devils posted a 3-1-0 record vs the Caps.
ALL-TIME vs WASHINGTON
Record: 93-118-13-6
Home: 54-49-7-4
Road: 39-69-6-2
Points Leader: Patrik Elias…22g-36a=58 PTS, 64 GP
Goaltender Wins: Martin Brodeur…40-17-4
DID YOU KNOW…
The most goals in franchise history earned in a single game vs the Capitals was in an 8-1 win vs Washington on Oct. 28, 1977 (COL).
The most goals that the Devils allowed in a single game vs the Caps is nine, four times, with the last being on Jan. 16, 1990, in a 9-6 loss at Washington.
The most shots that Jersey earned in a single game vs the Capitals is 47, after a 6-5 win on Jan. 20, 1989, at Washington.
The most shots that the Devils/Rockies allowed in a single game vs Washington is 51, on Nov. 18, 1981, at Washington, in a 7-1 defeat.
The last time the Devils shut out the Caps was Oct. 11, 2018, in a 6-0 win at the Rock.
The last time Washington shut out the Devils was Mar. 26, 2021, in a 4-0 loss at Washington.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Sat. Nov. 26, vs WSH, 7:00 P.M.
Mon. Nov. 28, at NYR, 7:00 P.M.
Thu. Dec. 1, vs NSH, 7:00 P.M. E.T.
Sat. Dec. 3, at PHI, 7:00 P.M.
Tues. Dec. 6, vs CHI, 7:00 P.M.
LAST TRADE
The last time that the Devils and Washington executed a trade was on July. 8, 2022, when the Devils dealt a 2022 second and thirdround draft picks in exchange for goaltender Vitek Vanecek. Jack Hughes opened the scoring on Friday and 2:00 into the second period. It marked the fourth time this season that the 2019 No. 1 overall draft selection scored the first goal of a game for 2022-23. Hughes is tied for second in the NHL with five other skaters who’ve scored the first goal of a game this season. J. Tavares (TOR) ranks first in the NHL with five goals. Yegor Sharangovich extended his point streak to five games (3g-3a=6 PTS), after earning the primary assist on Jesper Boqvist’s second-period tally on Friday. The Belarus native’s career-high point streak is seven games, which was earned from Feb. 8, 2022, to Feb. 28 (5g-6a=11 PTS). The Swedish native in Boqvist also earned his fourth-career game-winning goal and second for the season. The last time that Boqvist netted a game-winner was Nov. 12, vs Arizona, at the Rock. Tomas Tatar not only netted his fifth tally for the 2022-23 campaign, but earned his 196th career goal. Nico Hischier collected the primary assist on Tatar’s goal on Friday, and the team improved to 15-0-0 when the captain records a point
in a game this season. Jesper Bratt chipped in and earned the secondary assist on Tatar’s tally…the left-handed shot now owns 25 points in 21 games played (8g-17a=25 PTS).
QUICK HITS
As of Nov. 26, and since Oct. 25, Jonas Siegenthaler is a +18, Tomas Tatar is a +18, Ryan Graves is a +16, which ranks 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the NHL, respectively. Siegenthaler’s +21 plus/minus rating ranks first for all NHL defensemen for the 2022-23 campaign. Graves’ +17 rating ranks third in the NHL for all defensemen. Nico Hischier enters his third season as team captain. Damon Severson is the longest-tenured Devil via 2014-15. Dawson Mercer is the first player in franchise history to wear No. 91. Mercer donned No. 18 last season, which was taken over by two-time Stanley Cup champion Ondrej Palat.
COACH’S CORNER
Head coach Lindy Ruff earned his 783rd career regular-season win on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022, and now ranks fifth all-time for NHL head coaches. Ruff was tied with the great Al Arbour for fifth all-time at 782. Ruff enters tonight’s contest just one win shy of 800 career wins. Akira Schmid logged his third start for the 2022-23 campaign and improved to 4-0-0 on the season, after Friday’s win. The youngster also earned a career-high 33 saves. Schmid’s prior career-high for saves in a game was 27, which was earned on Jan. 31, 2022, at Toronto.
TONIGHT’S PLAYER TO WATCHS PLAYER TO WATCH
Dougie Hamilton has netted five goals and chipped in five assists at home this season, which ranks third on Jersey for points earned by a player in home games this season.
