Caps Face Devils in Newark

March 19 vs. New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center
Time:7:30 p.m.
TV: NBCSW
Radio:Capitals Radio 24/7, FAN 106.7
Washington Capitals 42-23-7
New Jersey Devils 27-37-9

The Caps finish up a four-game road stretch on Tuesday night in Newark, facing the New Jersey Devils for the last of four regular season meetings between the two Metropolitan Division rivals. Washington has dropped two of the first three games and will be looking to get even for the journey against the Devils.
After opening the trip with a 5-3 loss in Pittsburgh a week ago, the Caps took down the Flyers in Philly two nights later. They fell 6-3 to the Lightning in Tampa on Saturday before returning home for an off day in the District on Sunday and a Monday practice to prepare for a midweek set of back-to-back games, the Caps' last set of the season. Washington returns home to host the Lightning on Wednesday, but the Caps can't afford to look past the Devils.

"I think there is that danger, yes," admits Caps coach Todd Reirden. "I think it's important to be cognizant of it, aware of it, [and to] talk about it. But we are working on improving our game, and that's what [Monday's] video session and some of the drills we did in practice are based on us getting better.
"We just haven't had a ton of practice time, even with two of our new players - some systematic stuff and just getting some of that foundation down. [There were] some areas where we weren't as good as we can be against Tampa. So for me, it's about the process of getting better and not necessarily the opponent. We've got one more chance to practice it before playing them again, is how I look at it."
Just under two weeks ago, the Caps hosted the Devils in Washington. Although missing several key players and featuring an underwhelming - on paper - roster dotted with young and experienced players, New Jersey gave the Caps all they could handle in that game.
Braden Holtby was at his best in the Washington nets, and he needed to be. Holtby stopped all 25 shots he faced in a 3-0 Caps victory, but the Devils proved to be a plucky and hard-working bunch capable of being a significant thorn in the side of any team on any given night. Washington nursed a 1-0 lead into the third period of that March 8 game in the District, and that game could have gone sideways on the Caps if not for Holtby.
That victory over the Devils was Washington's sixth straight in what would eventually be a seven-game winning streak, and the Caps have now dropped two of three since the end of that winning run, falling to second place in the Metropolitan Division standings. The Capitals are down to 10 games remaining on the season, 10 opportunities to collect points as they seek to nail down their 11th playoff berth in the last dozen seasons, and as they vie for optimal positioning in the standings.
Although the Devils' lineup still looks to be decimated by injuries compared to the one the Caps saw in October in Newark and in November in Washington, the Capitals know from that recent experience that if they overlook the Devils on Tuesday, they do so at their own peril.

"They worked hard against us last game and kind of caught us on our heels a little bit, obviously," says Holtby. "I think we will be a little more prepared for it this time around. We need to worry less about the opponent and more about ourselves, because we have a real big game coming up right after it. We want to start in period one to create those habits to move forward into this last stretch."
For the Devils, that 3-0 loss to the Caps on March 8 was the start of a six-game road trip, a journey that ended in Denver on Sunday afternoon with a 3-0 loss at the hands of ex-Caps goalie Philipp Grubauer and the Colorado Avalanche. In between those bookend 3-0 losses, the Devils won a pair and lost a pair. They fell to the Rangers in New York and were blasted 9-4 by the Flames in Calgary, but impressively rebounded from the ugly loss to the Flames to take wins in Edmonton and Vancouver.
New Jersey snuck into the playoffs as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference last season, and the Devils roared out to a quick start this season as well, perhaps causing some to believe that their rebuild was finished. But a spate of injuries and some goaltending woes exposed some holes on the roster and sent the Devils plummeting to the basement of the standings.

Since the All-Star break, the Devils can count the play of goaltender Cory Schneider as a significant positive. The 33-year-old Schneider - under contract for the next three seasons beyond the current one at an annual salary cap hit of $6 million - was mired in a difficult and length slump in which he went nearly 14 months without a victory.
Aside from recording the Devils' lone victory in their first-round playoff series with Tampa Bay last spring, Schneider went through all of calendar 2018 without a win. Prior to the All-Star game, Schneider went 0-5-1 in nine appearances (seven starts) with a 4.66 GAA and an .852 save pct. in 2018-19. In December, he landed on injured reserve with a strained abdominal muscle, and after a brief rehab stint with AHL Binghamton, he returned to the Devils. Since doing so, he is 5-6-2 with a shutout, a 2.38 GAA and a .925 save pct. in 13 appearances (12 starts).
Confident in Schneider's return to form, the Devils dealt goalie Keith Kinkaid to Columbus at the trade deadline. New Jersey has been operating with the tandem of Schneider and rookie MacKenzie Blackwood, who has shown well in his first tour of the league. Blackwood was impressive in the March 8 loss to the Capitals in Washington.