Caps move to 7-0-0 vs. Devils, sole possession of first place originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
As the Capitals skated off the ice after a 2-1 win over the Devils in overtime on Friday at Prudential Center, they were thrilled to see their defensive play, overall effort and goaltending much improved from just 24 hours prior.
Part of that enthusiasm is undoubtedly rooted in the fact that, already, the NHL’s regular season is winding down.
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
The Capitals have just 19 games left in their regular season, so not only are the chances to sharpen their game running out, so are their chances to accumulate points.
Which is partially why, with Dmitry Orlov’s bar-down goal in overtime to lift the Capitals to 7-0-0 against the Devils this season, the Capitals felt so good about their victory over the seventh place Devils.
“We needed that win,” Orlov said. “Great response after two losses, so we have a good game like I said, so we just have to build on that...I think 19 games left and that is not a lot of time, so we have to get better every game.”
The Capitals, who were unceremoniously and uncharacteristically beaten soundly by the Islanders just 24 hours prior, seemed to get back their defensive mojo against the Devils and outshot them 40-23. Though the goals didn’t come, they certainly were improved from the loss to the Islanders on Thursday.
The win lifted the Capitals back into first place in the East with 52 points, two ahead of the Islanders and Penguins. All three teams have 37 games played.
The Bruins, in a deceptively distant fourth place with 41 points, have four games to make up on each of the playoff teams in the East and could bring themselves right back into the picture with a strong week or two.
“Even though we've won some games, it's been like that,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “We're either two points up or two points down. It's not like we've won games and we've pulled 14 points ahead. We're just trying to tread water. With everybody else winning, you got to keep pushing on.”
The MassMutual East has a clear divide emerging, with the Capitals, Islanders, Penguins and Bruins as the clear top half of the division, with the Flyers and Rangers in sixth and seventh, then the Devils and dreadful Sabres in seventh and eighth place.
There certainly won’t be any easy matchups in the playoffs in the East, in either of the first two rounds, so the Capitals’ added point in overtime against a non-playoff team — and such instances down the stretch — could be the difference between home ice advantage and a road playoff series.
“I'm sure guys are aware of the standings and where we sit and what's going on around the league,” Laviolette said. “I think we focus a little bit more on the game. It is a way to challenge ourselves, though, to push and try to be successful that way.”
The Capitals have gotten all 14 possible points against the Devils this season, and they’ll go for the 15th and 16th on Easter Sunday in their final matchup with New Jersey this season.
In a shortened season, every point could end up mattering. And so far, the Capitals have done all they can against the teams they’re ahead of in the standings.
“Yeah, I think it was a good team effort,” Tom Wilson said. “We wanted to have a bounce-back game. It wasn’t pretty. There wasn’t a whole lot out there. I thought the biggest thing was just getting the two points and we found a way to do it, so that’s all that matters right now.”
