Garnet Hathaway scored 3:36 after faceoff Saturday afternoon to begin a three-goal, first-period flurry by the visiting Washington Capitals, who went on to beat the New Jersey Devils, 5-2, in Newark, N.J.
Daniel Sprong and Lars Eller scored later in the first while Jakub Vrana and Nic Dowd scored in the third for the Capitals, who have won five of seven (5-1-1). Goalie Vitek Vanecek made 22 saves.
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Nico Hischier scored in the first period and Pavel Zacha scored in the second for the Devils, who have lost four of five. Goalie Mackenzie Blackwood recorded 19 saves.
Hathaway opened the scoring after Justin Schultz got Blackwood to lean to his right before dishing across the crease to Hathaway, whose shot sailed over the extended left leg of Blackwood.
The Capitals doubled the lead 90 seconds later when Brenden Dillon’s shot from the blue line glanced off Devils defenseman P.K. Subban and ticked off the stick of Sprong, who was jostling with Subban for position in front of Blackwood.
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A Devils turnover helped the Capitals extend their lead to 3-0 with 6:20 left in the first. Will Butcher tried but could not glove a pass from Travis Zajac. Conor Sheary got a stick on it and Eller picked up the puck to begin a 3-on-1 rush in which Sheary and Eller exchanged the puck before Eller fired a shot into the upper corner of the net.
The Devils began coming back immediately after Sheary was whistled for tripping with 1:51 left in the period. Hischier won the subsequent faceoff with Dowd and the puck bounced to Jack Hughes, who passed to Subban. His shot bounced off the wall behind the net and to Hischier, who tucked home the rebound with 1:44 remaining.
Zacha cut the deficit to one goal at 6:09 of the second, when he was stationed in the slot and took a pass from Hischier before sending a shot beyond the glove of Vanecek, who was screened by teammate John Carlson.
The Capitals extended their lead to two goals again on Vrana’s breakaway with 8:11 remaining, when he took a clearing pass from Carlson at center ice, sprinted past Hischier and beat Blackwood under his stick.
Dowd added an empty-netter with 53.1 seconds left.
–Field Level Media