NEW JERSEY DEVILS NOTES:
CURRENT INJURIES/ILLNESS
PLAYER INJURY/Illness OUT SINCE GAMES MISSED
Tomas Nosek Upper-body Nov. 22 (suffered 11/18) 19
Dougie Hamilton Upper-body Nov. 30 (suffered 11/28) 15
Curtis Lazar Lower-body Dec. 27 (Suffered 12/23) 3
2023-24 Total Man-Games Lost : 88
TRANSACTIONS
12/30 Brian Halonen Activated off I.R. & assigned to Utica (AHL)
WASHINGTON CAPITALS NOTES:
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Recalled goaltender Hunter Shepard from AHL Hershey and loaned Forward Ivan Miroshnichenko to AHL Hershey, 12/30
INJURIES/ILLNESSES
Charlie Lindgren: 10/16-10/27, 12/2, 12/30-1/2 (9 games)
T.J. Oshie: 11/27-12/7, 12/17-1/2 (14 games)
Sonny Milano: 10/29, 12/14-1/2 (11 games)
Nicklas Backstrom: 11/2-1/2 (27 games)
Max Pacioretty: 10/13-1/2 (35 games)
Martin Fehervary: 11/11-11/24, 12/30 (6 games)
Connor McMichael: 12/20-12/21 (2 games)
Evgeny Kuznetsov: 11/18-11/22, 12/14 (3 games)
Anthony Mantha: 11/10-11/14 (3 games)
Darcy Kuemper: 11/10-11/11 (2 games)
Trevor van Riemsdyk: 11/8-11/14 (4 games)
Nic Dowd: 10/18-11/8 (9 games)
Joel Edmundson: 10/13-11/14 (14 games)
Man Games Lost: 139
TONIGHT’S GAME
The Capitals host the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday at Capital One Arena for the third of four meetings between the teams this season. Washington is 2-0-0 against the Devils this season, winning both games at New Jersey. Nic Aube-Kubel and Beck Malenstyn scored 15 seconds apart in the first period and Evgeny Kuznetsov added two goals of his own to propel the Capitals to a 4-2 win over New Jersey on Nov. 10. The Capitals overcame a 4-3 third-period deficit to defeat the Devils 6-4 on Oct. 25 at Prudential Center. Alex Ovechkin (1g, 1a), Dylan Strome (2g, 0a), Anthony Mantha (1g, 1a) and Kuznetsov (2a) each recorded two points in the win, while goaltender Hunter Shepard made 18 saves in his NHL debut to earn his first career win. Kuznetsov leads Washington with four points (2g, 2a) in two games against New Jersey this season. The Capitals are 126-78-13-18 all-time vs. New Jersey and 13-1-3 (.853 point percentage) in their last 17 games against the Devils dating back to the 2020-21 season. In addition, Washington is 6-1-3 in their last 10 home games vs. the Devil.
TOP CAPS FACTS
About Last Night – The Capitals snapped their season-long four-game winless streak (0-2-2) with a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena. – All four Washington goals came in the first period, the second time this season the Capitals scored four goals in the opening frame (also Nov. 30 at Anaheim). – Capitals defensemen combined for four points (1g, 3a) in the win, led by Rasmus Sandin’s two assists. – Goaltender Darcy Kuemper stopped 32 of 35 shots faced, including all 13 shots in the third period.
Collecting Points
– The Capitals have earned at least one point in 10 of their last 13 games (6-3-4). – Washington has yet to lose three-straight regulation games in 2023-24. – The Capitals are one of eight teams in the NHL who have yet to lose three-straight regulation games in 2023-24, joining the New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs. – The Capitals are 17-8-5 in their last 30 games dating back to Oct. 25. – Washington’s .650 point percentage since Oct. 25 is the seventh highest in the NHL.
Back-to-Back
– Wednesday’s game against New Jersey marks the second half of Washington’s eighth back-to-back set of the season. The Capitals defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 on Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena. – The Capitals are 5-3-0 in the first game of back-to-backs and 6-0-1 in the second game of back-to-backs this season. – Washington’s six wins on zero days rest are tied with the New York Rangers for the most in the NHL.
Kids Contributing
– Through 35 games this season, Capitals skaters 27 years of age and younger have accounted for 47.6 percent of the team’s goals (39 of 82) and 48.2 percent of the team’s points (107 of 222). – Through the first 35 games of the 2022-23 season, skaters 27 years of age and younger accounted for 14.9 percent of Washington’s goals (16 of 107) and 19.9 percent of the team’s total points (58 of 291).
Metro Matchup
– Washington’s next two games will be against Metropolitan Division opponents (Jan. 3 vs. NJD; Jan. 5 vs. CAR). – This season, the Capitals have a 10-4-1 record (.700 P%) against Metro teams, which is the highest point percentage in the division. – Washington and New Jersey (35 GP) have played the fewest games among Metropolitan Division teams this season. – The Capitals (18-11-6, 42 pts.) enter Wednesday in fifth place in the Metro but own the division’s third-highest point percentage (.600).
Did You Know?
– The Capitals are 10-1-2 when scoring first this season. – Washington is 17-0-5 when scoring two or more goals this season. – The Capitals are 11-1-6 in one-goal games this season. Washington’s .611 win percentage in one-goal games is the seventh highest in the NHL. – Washington’s 10 comeback wins this season are tied for the sixth most in the NHL. – The Capitals are 10-0-0 when leading after the first period this season. Washington is one of two teams in the NHL with a perfect record when leading after the first 20 minutes (Detroit: 10-0-0).
Penalty Skill
– Over their last 12 games, the Capitals have killed off 33 of 37 opposing power-play opportunities (89.2 percent). – Since Dec. 9, the start of the 12-game stretch, Washington ranks fourth in the NHL in penalty kill percentage. – This season, the Capitals rank 12th in the NHL in penalty kill percentage (81.7 percent)
