The New Jersey Devils are looking to steady their game, and they will have to do so without one of their top forwards, Timo Meier, when they visit the Washington Capitals on Wednesday.
The Devils had their three-game winning streak end Saturday with a 5-2 road setback against the Boston Bruins. Prior to the streak, New Jersey had lost three straight after winning five of their previous six.
“Trying to find a level of consistency in all three zones,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “Offensively, trying to find a groove. Defensively, being locked into better quality of play. We’ve had our moments. We’ve been better of late, but I still think we can get better.”
New Jersey, which had high expectations heading into the campaign after finishing third overall in the NHL last season, currently finds itself on the outside of the playoff picture. The team is still well within reach, however, sitting two points behind the Capitals for the second Eastern Conference wild card.
The Devils will face Washington without Meier, who left the game against Boston in the third period due to a “medium-body” injury, Ruff said. It’s unrelated to the lower-body ailment that sidelined him for seven games in November, and the team doesn’t expect the latest ailment to keep him out long term.
New Jersey defenseman Luke Hughes is enjoying a solid first full NHL season. The 20-year-old is fourth among all rookies and leads all rookie blue-liners with 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists). On Monday, he was named the NHL’s third star of the week after collecting five points (three goals, two assists) in three games from Dec. 27-31.
“I came out of the Christmas break energized and rejuvenated,” he said. “John (Marino) does a great job of getting me the puck and putting me in good spots and letting me jump up. It’s just the bounces. You get some in games and not in others. But it’s nice.”
The Capitals, meanwhile, halted a four-game losing streak (0-2-2) with a 4-3 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. They jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first period before ultimately hanging on for the victory.
It marked the first time since Dec. 10 that Washington scored four goals in a game and was one short of the Capitals’ total output from their slide.
Scoring has been a season-long issue for the Capitals, who are 31st in the NHL in that category with 82 goals. Only the San Jose Sharks have scored fewer (78).
“The scoring we have to address,” Washington coach Spencer Carbery said prior to the game. “And we’ve got to continue to work on it and to find ways to create a little bit more and finish on our opportunities, no question. But we can’t lose sight of the fact that in order to win games and why we’re at where we are, it is because we were able to keep it out of the back of the net.
“I think it’s an important point that we realize and we continue to focus on as well as trying to put the puck in the back of the net.”
Washington’s Tom Wilson snapped an eight-game goal drought with his 11th goal of the season Tuesday, moving him into a tie with Anthony Mantha for second on the team behind Dylan Strome (13).
Wilson had six goals in seven games before his drought but struggled to put up points during his dry spell, managing just one assist, on Dec. 17.
–Field Level Media