Nico Hischier scored the eventual game-winner as the New Jersey Devils topped the host Washington Capitals 7-4 on Saturday night.
Evan Rodrigues scored twice; Jesper Boqvist, Lenni Hameenaho and Connor Brown each scored and added two assists as the Devils won for the seventh time in eight games (7-1-0) and improved to 11-2-0 over their last 13.
Timo Meier also scored, and Luke Hughes added three assists.
Connor Hellebuyck made 43 saves to improve to 7-0-0 this season.
Ryan Leonard scored and added an assist; Pierre-Luc Dubois, Anthony Beauvillier, and Ilya Protas also tallied for the Capitals, who have dropped back-to-back games.
Cole Hutson contributed three assists, and Charlie Lindgren stopped 26 shots in the loss.
Hischier gave New Jersey a 5-3 lead 56 seconds into the third, short-handed, redirecting a Brown cross-crease feed past Lindgren.
Washington pulled to within one 26 seconds later on a power play as Protas one-timed a Hutson pass past Hellebuyck.
New Jersey restored its two-goal lead as the rebound off Rodrigues’ shot deflected off Capitals defenseman Timothy Liljegren and past Lindgren at 3:18 of the third.
Rodrigues added his second into an empty net with 3:15 remaining in the third.
The Devils scored two straight second-period goals to take a 4-3 lead into the third.
Boqvist tied it 3-3 at 10:33, putting home the rebound off Hameenaho’s shot.
Meier gave New Jersey their first lead of the night, jamming home his own rebound on a power play at 16:18.
New Jersey and Washington exchanged 14 shots on goal apiece as the Capitals took a 3-2 lead into the first intermission.
Washington opened the scoring at 5:13 as Dubois snapped home the rebound off Jakob Chychrun’s point shot.
Hameenaho responded for the Devils 3:02 later, one-timing a Cody Glass cross-ice feed glove-side past Lindgren.
The Caps retook the lead at 14:34, as Leonard one-timed a Dylan Strome pass past a screened Hellebuyck.
Brown tied it 2-2 on a power play at 17:08 as Jesper Bratt’s pass went off Brown’s skate and past Lindgren.
Washington took a 3-2 lead at 18:40 of the opening frame as Beauvillier knocked in a loose puck following a scramble in front of Hellebuyck.
–Field Level Media
