Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils

The essentials:

Matchup: Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils

Date: November 30, 2024

Time: 7:00 p.m. ET

Transmitted: MSG, MNMT, ESPN+

Hear: Devils Hockey Network

Last Devils game: The Devils defeated the Detroit Red Wings on Friday with a final score of 5-4. Check out Jackson’s recap of the game.

Last Capitals game: The Capitals defeated the New York Islanders 5-4 in overtime. Check out NHL.com’s game recap.

Current dynamics: The Devils have won seven of their last 10 games and four of their last five, for a record of 16-8-2. The Capitals have also won seven of their last 10 games and three of their last five, for a record of 16-6-1.

When they last played: The Devils earned a 3-2 victory over the Capitals on November 23rd. Check out Chris’ recap of this game.

Lineups

Washington Capitals

Based on Friday’s game against the Islanders, here are the projected lineups and matchups (per Bailey Johnson).

Logan Thompson started Friday and Charlie Lindgren is expected to start in net Saturday.

New Jersey Devils

Based on Friday’s game against the Red Wings, here are the projected lineups and matchups (per @NJDevils).

Jacob Markstrom started on Friday. Jake Allen is expected to start in net on Saturday.

What you should pay attention to

Didn’t we just do that?

Two wins and one loss. That’s about all that has changed for the Devils in the week since their last game against the Capitals. Alex Ovechkin is still out with a broken leg. Jakob Chychrun, who scored a goal and an assist in Friday’s game against the Islanders, has found a home in Washington. Connor McMichael, who had three assists against the Islanders, and Aliaksei Protas are still emerging young forwards to watch. Logan Thompson played exceptionally well, recording nine wins and one loss. Saturday’s game will be the fourth and final time the Devils will play the Capitals in the 2024-2025 regular season. It’s strange that the season series is completed by the end of November.

Player to watch: Dylan Strome

Before the Devils-Caps game last week, I highlighted young forwards Connor McMichael and Aliaksei Protas. Both are off to a strong start to the 2024-2025 season. One Capitals forward I didn’t talk about was Dylan Strome. The 27-year-old center has eight goals, 26 assists and 34 points this season (per NHL.com). Strome is responsible on defense and is tied for the team lead at +/- at +18. The Caps’ #17 has excelled in the faceoff circle, winning 55.6 percent of 369 faceoffs (per NHL.com). In comparison, Nico Hischier leads the Devils with a faceoff win rate of 55.9 percent, but has participated in significantly more faceoffs this season (592) (according to NHL.com). With Ovechkin out of the squad for a long time and the search for a replacement still ongoing, Strome will be relied upon more heavily in the coming games. Shutting down Stome will be a focus for the Devils.

Looking for a temporary worker

Insert your favorite Ryan Howard reference here. The fireman. With Ovechkin forced to vacate his position, the search is on for a player to take over as Washington’s leader. Since Ovi left the lineup, head coach Spencer Carbery has dealt with Andrew Mangiapane (vs. the Avalanche), Ivan Mironshnichenko (vs. the Devils), Tom Wilson (vs. the Panthers), and a combination of Tom Wilson and Taylor Raddysh (vs. the Lightning). tried ) on the line with Strome and Protas. Unfortunately for the Caps, Strome’s line didn’t score a point against Colorado. The Strome line didn’t score a point against the Devils. Strome and Wilson each had an assist against Florida. Finally, against Tampa Bay, Protas scored a goal assisted by Wilson (on the penalty kill), Wilson scored a goal assisted by Strome (on the power play), and Strome scored a goal assisted by Raddysh. Raddysh started on the Strome line against the Islanders on Friday. Strome scored again, but on the power play. There was a noticeable drop in production on the top line at 5v5. We’ll see if the experiments on the Strome line continue Saturday against the Devils.

Bold prediction: Luke Hughes scores

Luke Hughes has been excellent defensively but has yet to score a goal this season. It’s not for lack of trying. Hughes has become more involved in the offensive zone and his handling of the sticks on offense has been must-see television. Hughes scored four shots against the Red Wings on Friday to tie for the lead. Dougie Hamilton only had one goal until November 21st, when he scored against Carolina. Meanwhile, the floodgates are open for Hamilton, who scored again on Friday. Hughes appears to be in a similar position and as soon as the first target falls, it’s off to the races. I think Hughes will score the first goal on Saturday against the Capitals.

Your thoughts

What will you pay attention to? Will Luke score on Saturday? Will the Devils’ power play continue to be hot? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and GO DEVILS!