The New Jersey Devils defeated the Washington Capitals last night for their first road victory in North America this season. In this piece, we identify some key takeaways from a mature victory for Jersey's new-look team.
Special Teams Need To Get It Together
Although the Devils responded well throughout the night, earning a mature victory early in the season, a special teams problem still persists. The Devils went 0/4 on the power play against Washington after going 1/5 against Toronto. Not what you want.
The power play under Jeremy Colliton has not been great at the start of the season, and that needs to change. The Devils gave up a Capitals power-play goal early on, but credit to them for finishing hard and killing off the last two Capitals power plays. The Devils' penalty kill has been serviceable. However, if the Devils are set on becoming a team built on sustained success, they must figure out how to take advantage of the man advantage.
The Devils led for a majority of the game before it became official. This was absolutely a “learn how to win” kind of game for New Jersey. They hung tight and had to battle hard for everything they got and, with help from the new guys, this new Devils team got it done. Whenever the Capitals pushed, a swift response followed and that’s what you want. It wasn’t an entirely clean victory, but good teams are expected to figure out how to get the job done. Last night, the Devils got it done. Jacob Markstrom stepped up, providing solidity in net. The defense settled in and allowed the offense to answer in more ways than one. This is all what helped lead to a Devils win in Washington D.C.
