The New Jersey Devils could not build off their last success on Friday night.
Instead, they were doubled up by the Washington Capitals in Newark, 6-3.
Nicklas Backstrom struck twice in the win, including his 900th NHL point.
Nicklas Backstrom struck for two goals for the Caps on Friday – file photo by Lewis Bleiman
“It’s great, actually,” Backstrom said. “I mean, I wasn’t expecting that, but sometimes that happens. It’s fun being part of this organization for this long, and playing with such a great player like Alex … that’s very fortunate for me, so I just have to enjoy every moment.”
Alex Ovechkin added a goal in the win.
“You’ve got Backstrom and Ovechkin playing 900 games together, and I wouldn’t expect anything less from them other than a performance like that from those two,” Capitals head coach Todd Reirden said. “Obviously, Nick [with] 900 points and a four-point game, he was outstanding.”
Ilya Samsonov made 24 saves for the win.
“There are definitely some positives, but some mistakes, too,” New Jersey coach Alain Nasreddine said. “Overall, the way we played, we could have been a lot more aggressive and tried to dictate the pace a little. It came back to bite us. We played on our heels a little bit and gave them a little too much respect.”
Blake Coleman, Kyle Palmieri and Miles Wood scored for the Devils.
“That’s a Stanley Cup team,” Wood said. “They certainly played like it. We pushed back certainly, in some parts, but we didn’t do it for the full three periods. That’s what cost us.”
John Carlson, Jonas Siegenthaler and Richard Panik also scored for the
[WATCH: All Capitals vs. Devils highlights]
Mackenzie Blackwood got the start for the Devils and made 21 saves, but yielded five goals. He was given the hook in the third period.
Gilles Senn iced for the Devils in net in NHL debut and made two saves.
“You never want to lose your first game,” Senn said. “[In] the end, I can’t be happy giving up a goal in just like 10 minutes. I’m just happy I got my first [action]. It’s bigger now than letting my first goal in.”
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