NEWARK, N.J. — It might be a new season for the Devils, but their struggles against the Capitals have stretched into the 2021-22 campaign.
After winning their opening two games, the Devils were humbled in a 4-1 loss against the Capitals in front of 12,377 fans on Thursday night at Prudential Center.
The Capitals opened the game with four unanswered goals to improve to 3-0-1 on the season, while the loss dropped the Devils to 2-1.
It was the Devils' ninth straight loss against the Capitals after they came up short in all eight meetings last season, picking up just two points in those matchups. They have not beaten the Capitals since Feb. 22, 2020.
Capitals right winger Daniel Sprong assisted on the opening goal and tacked on an insurance tally on a breakaway midway through the second period. Evgeny Kuznetsov also had a goal and an assist for the Caps.
The Devils broke through for the first time on the power play on their sixth attempt of the season and only attempt of the game as Janne Kuokkanen beat Vitek Vanacek five-hole off assists by Damon Severson and Dawson Mercer late in the third period.
The Devils looked every bit as shorthanded as they were heading into a matchup with a perennial contender in the Eastern Conference.
Without star center Jack Hughes, who missed his first game since suffering a dislocated shoulder in the Devils' second game against the Kraken, the attack could not find the net.
Without their top two goalies in Mackenzie Blackwood and Jonathan Bernier and top-four defenseman Ty Smith, the Capitals pestered the Devils blue-liners and wreaked havoc with their connections in open ice.
Playing catch-up
In their opening two wins against the Blackhawks and Kraken, the Devils were pressed down the stretch but never trailed. They outscored those two teams 3-0 in the first period.
The Capitals put the Devils on their back foot for the first time all season in the early goal.
Four minutes into the game, the puck slipped past Severson near the boards and kickstarted an odd-man rush for the Capitals. Severson and Dougie Hamilton both went sprawling to the ground but Sprong tracked down his own deflected pass behind the goal and found Anthony Mantha wide-open in front of the net to make it 1-0.
They doubled that margin five minutes later when Dmitry Orlov found Alex Ovechkin in the slot and then crashed the net and cashed in on a rebound between Ryan Grave and Andres Johnsson to make it 2-0 at the 10:26 mark of the first.
It was a first period to forget for the Devils. They were outshot 13-8, while the Capitals controlled 77 percent of the faceoffs. The Capitals' forecheck seemed to fluster the Devils in their own zone.
Uneven performance for Wedgewood
With Blackwood and Bernier both sidelined with injuries, third-string goalie Wedgewood was called into action for the Devils.
He saved 23 of the 27 shots he face in the game. While it was not the best save percentage, Wedgewood faced a number of odd-man situations and stood tall.
With a little more than seven minutes left to play in the second period, Ovechkin circled inside the blue line and dropped to one knee but delivered a sharp pass to Kuznetzov. Wedgewood slid to his right to make a toe save at the right post.
Three minutes later, the Capitals broke out on a 3-on-1 and Wedgewood was able to smother a chance from Conor Sheary.
On the second power play of the game in the third, he made a quick move to rob Mantha near the right post.
Blackwood was beat underneath his pads on a breakaway from Sprong. On the fourth goal, Kuznetsov deposited a giveaway in front of the goal.
