The New Jersey Devils will travel to DC to take on the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night. Both teams have 40 points going into the game with Washington currently ahead of the Devils due to fewer games played. As the puck drops at 7:30, the Devils will look to start off the new year with a win after losing their last game of 2023 to Boston.
How the Devils Ended 2023
The Devils fell to the Bruins 5-2 in Boston to end 2023. New Jersey held a 2-0 lead early in the second period on goals by Nico Hischier and Luke Hughes. Boston cut the lead in half just 5 minutes into the period and proceeded to rattle off three goals in five minutes off Vitek Vanecek. A shell-shocked Devils team could not recover, ending 2023 on a loss.
Capitals Struggling
Washington comes into the new year having lost 4 of their last 5 games. The Capitals snapped a 4-game losing streak last night, beating Pittsburgh 4-3. Goal differential is what is killing Washington, as it currently sits at -18 with only 81 goals going into their game in Pittsburgh.
Washington’s hottest player in the last 10 games has been their savvy veteran, Anthony Mantha. In their last 10 games, Mantha has found the back of the net five times and has dished out two assists in that same span.
Missing Meier
When the Devils take the ice on Wednesday night they will be without Timo Meier, who is still banged up after Saturday’s loss with a mid-body injury. When head coach Lindy Ruff was asked about it today, he told media members that Meier was only staying back to be evaluated and hopes he is not sidelined for long.
Final Thoughts
New Jersey comes into the game winning three of their last four games, with two of those games being big comebacks. While Washington does not score a lot, 10 of their 81 goals have come in the two games against the Devils. Vitek Vanecek has been between the pipes in both those games and is likely to be back there tomorrow.
Without one of their scoring weapons in Meier, Jack Hughes will have even more of Washington’s attention (if that’s even possible). Hughes has not scored against the Capitals, but has dished out three assists against them, two of which were to Tyler Toffoli. Look for Toffoli and Hischier to try to take more shots on goal and Hughes to control the puck to take stress off the New Jersey defense.
The Devils are the better team going in this game and this year. If they can finally tighten up the defense, especially against the conference's worst scoring team, they should leave the ice Wednesday with 3 points and the win.
