Maybe the Capitals did not really need a win over the New Jersey Devils. The calendar has yet to flip to January, after all, and once spring hits few will remember the Caps struggled to earn standings points against them four months earlier.
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But that was hard to tell as Washington basked in a decisive 4-1 victory on Saturday night at Verizon Center. Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom each had a goal and two assists and the Caps beat one of the NHL’s best goalies for the second game in a row.
On Wednesday, it was Buffalo’s Ryan Miller. This time they peppered Martin Brodeur with 40 shots and now have the best record in the entire NHL. Washington also snapped New Jersey’s five-game winning streak and ended the season series with the Devils at 1-2-1.
“I don’t know how important it was in the whole scheme of things,” said Caps coach Bruce Boudreau. “We certainly didn’t want [in late December] to think we went four games and we didn’t beat them at all. But if we happen to meet up with them in the playoffs I don’t think we’re going to sit there and say ‘Oh, thank God because I didn’t think we could.’”
Rookie goalie Michal Neuvirth started for the third consecutive game. He played well in wins over Edmonton and Buffalo last week and Boudreau wanted to go with the hot hand. He put on another fine show, stopping 29 of 30 New Jersey shots. The one that beat Neuvirth was a Rod Pelley shot late in the first period that deflected off defenseman John Erskine.
“I’m feeling unbelievable right now. I just beat the best goalie in the world,” said the 21-year-old Neuvirth. “So it’s amazing…I used to watch him on [television]. It was something special.”
In those three starts Neuvirth has stopped 87 of 92 shots. That may be enough to get him another shot on Monday night against Carolina – though that won’t sit well with veteran Jose Theodore, who hasn’t played since a Dec. 18 loss to Vancouver. Semyon Varlamov is still on injured reserve with a groin injury and did not take shots during the morning skate on Saturday. So maybe Neuvirth’s stay will be extended.
“[Neuvirth] is going to be a good goalie, I believe,” Boudreau said. “You could see from Game 1 to practicing with us to Game 2 to Game 3 to Game 4 to Game 5 that he’s getting better and better and better. He’s a good goaltender now. He’s going to get better.”
Ovechkin notched goal No. 25 of the year at 4:09 of the first period. Matt Bradley scored his seventh goal at 13:54 of the second period to put Washington ahead 2-0. Backstrom scored at 9:52 of the second to make it 3-1, punching home a shot on a tap pass from Alex Semin. Ovechkin started that play by winning the puck on the left boards. Mike Green put the game out of reach 39 seconds into the third with his eighth goal, roofing a shot over Brodeur’s left shoulder from the slot.
“Last time we played them they outworked us and won,” Backstrom said of a 5-2 loss to New Jersey on Nov. 14. “Everyone knows the Devils are a good team and maybe it’s a good thing to show.”
