On a Thursday morning at the Prudential Center in New York, New Jersey will host a swiftly spiralling Washington. At the moment, Washington holds only one victory this season, whereas New Jersey enjoys a two-wins streak.
So far this season, the New Jersey Devils are showing a 3-1-1 result, having triumphed over Montreal Canadiens just a few hours ago with the score 5:2. Having started the match lagging, the Devils pulled themselves up, scoring 4 consecutive goals thanks to Toffoli's brace; he ultimately completed a hat-trick. In the latest match, the team made 34 shots on goal, against Montreal's 29, and acted on 2/4 of majority. Earlier, Devils secured a victory over the Islanders in an intense shootout with a score of 5:4.
On average the team scores 3.75 goals and concedes 3.50 per match. The efficiency in the majority stands at 42.9%, and in minority, it's 70.6%. Jack Hughes headlines the team in terms of performance, having 4 goals, 6 assists and 22 shots on goal. In general, the Devils are showcasing bright hockey at the start of the season with a relentless attack and just as aggressive defence, unlike the underperforming Washington so far.
Capitals keep spiralling down under a new coach. In the last match, they fell to Toronto Maple Leafs with a score of 1:4. Washington let Toronto score the first four goals, only then did Alexander Ovechkin manage to hit the opponent's goal for the first time this season. Despite his goal, the NHL's second-highest scoring player of all time couldn't impact the outcome of the game. In the match against Toronto, Capitals made 37 shots at the goal, while Toronto only had 17, however, the effectiveness of Washington's attack is questionable, Kuznetsov and co. again failed the match. In majority, the team from Washington conceded 3 goals - a disaster.
Besides their defeat from Toronto, Capitals also surrendered to Montreal and Ottawa this season. The team's average score is 1.25 goals per match faced with 3.75 conceded. Until recently, the team was unable to make good on any moments in majority, showing an efficiency in minority of 73.7%. John Carlson stands out in the Capitals: he has 1 goal, 3 assists, and 12 shots on goal, but relying on a defender for leadership in an attack all season is unlikely to work. It seems likely that Hunter Shepard, who will be debuting this season, will be Washington's starting goaltender in the next match.
In the past two years, Washington and New Jersey, within the frame of NHL, faced each other 8 times, and New Jersey won 5 times. The first of these matches took place on 5th October 2021, where New Jersey defeated Washington with a score of 4:1. However, already in the next month, on 22nd October, Washington took revenge, winning 4:1. In January 2022, teams held a tense match, which ended in favour of New Jersey with a score of 4:3 after overtime. In March the same year, Washington confidently beat their opponent 4:3. On 25th October, Washington dominated on the ice, concluding the match with a score of 6:3 in their favour. In contrast, the following month, on 27th November, New Jersey prevailed over Washington with a crushing score of 5:1. In 2023, the teams met twice, and both matches ended in favour of New Jersey: first on 10th March with a score of 3:2, then on 14th April with a score of 5:4.
Capitals are heading to New Jersey for a back-to-back match after another heavy defeat yesterday. Washington scored only one goal and in 4 out of the last 5 games they made 2 pucks and less. New Jersey won, and they have two wins in a row after demolishing Montreal. Washington started the season terribly and it seems like they are planning to play only on Ovi so that he can get closer to Gretzky's eternal record. I'll try to bet on the Devils' victory, who look more refreshed.
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