| Washington Capitals vs New Jersey Devils | ||||
| Team | P1 | P2 | P3 | Total |
 Washington Capitals | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
 New Jersey Devils | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Current Status: Final | ||||
Plus: The Caps’ power play struck not just once but twice tonight, just the third time this season – the second time in two weeks – in which they’ve had a multigoal night with the extra man.
Minus: Hunter Shepard had…a rough night. If there’s any question about just how the Caps find themselves where they do in the standings, the answer lies, at least partly, with Charlie Lindgren’s standout performance – something which is underlined when anyone else steps between the pipes, and even further emphasized when that person has an off night.
Key Moment: Just 46 seconds after tying the game, the Caps gave up this goal, sucking away any momentum they might have gained heading into the locker room.
Caps Player of the Game: There were some good moments, and some solid work by the Mantha-McMichael-Protas line again, but we’ll give this one to Evgeny Kuznetsov for posting his third multipoint game of the season (his second against these very Devils), which included a long-awaited return of the eagle.
Final Thoughts: The Caps were out of it, then in it, then back out of it again. Max Pacioretty’s debut was not great. The goaltending was suspect. And most importantly, a key two points slip away in front of the home crowd.
Onward.