The Devils have been a tough team to put away on the road this season. But even when the Washington Capitals jumped out to a three-goal lead in the second period, it wasn't unreasonable to think that it just wasn't the Devils' night. Yet, a third-period push saw the Devils storm back into the game before dropping a 5-4 overtime final in Washington D.C. on Tuesday night.
Three third-period goals, sparked by Miles Wood's eighth goal of the season, managed to pull the Devils back into the game from a 4-1 deficit and earn a point in the standings. Jakub Vrana's second goal of the night came in overtime to make the Capitals winners
Travis Zajac assisted on three of the four Devils goals, including two in the third period that helped to tie things. Scott Wedgewood, in his second straight start, stopped 25 shots and did enough to keep the Devils in the game as the third period comeback commenced.
Quite the comeback
Trailing by three goals heading into the third period, the focus for many Devils fans shifted toward a series of games against the New York Islanders. That was not the case for the Devils players, who stormed back with three goals over the span of 6:33 to tie the game at four with seven minutes remaining in regulation.
The surge started with Wood's eighth goal that brought the Devils back within two goals. Added pressure came from a Capitals penalty that shortly followed. It didn't yield a power-play goal, but provided some pressure that paid off with Yegor Sharangovich scoring his fourth of the season. A little more than a minute later, Damon Severson rifled a shot in that found the back of the net and tied the game at four with 7:40 remaining in the third.
Man disadvantage
New Jersey dug that hole based upon some self-inflicted errors. The Devils have struggled all season long when they don't have full strength on the ice. The NHL's worst team in penalty kill percentage allowed two more goals Tuesday night with a man in the penalty box. T.J. Oshie's first period goal came on the final seconds of a Janne Kuokkanen penalty. In the second, needing a burst, PK Subban went to the penalty box on offsetting penalties that put both teams at 4-on-4.
Only one of the two goals was considered a power-play goal, giving New Jersey 23 power-play goals allowed in 22 games this season.
Johnsson sits
The Devils had a third period to remember and did it without one of their top offensive options. Andreas Johnsson appeared to be benched in the second period and was not seen again on the ice for the rest of the night. That benching may have ended up being a rallying point for the Devils on the way to their comeback.
Johnsson was on the ice for two of the three Capitals goals in the second period and it became clear that a change was needed. Johnsson sat for the final 10 minutes of the second period. Johnsson only had two minutes of ice time in the second period and 6:44 total in the first two periods. Even as the Devils bounced back in the third period, Johnsson was nowhere to be found.
