SKATE SHAVINGS - News and Notes From Caps' Morning Skate

Keep The Devil Down - Last season, both the Caps and Devils were occupants of the East Division, a temporarily cobbled division that included mostly occupants of the Metro Division with interlopers Boston and Buffalo replacing Carolina and Columbus for the pandemic-shortened season.

The Caps and Devils faced each other eight times, with Washington coming out on top in all eight. There were no blowouts in the bunch; six of the eight games were decided by a single goal and two of them required overtime. Washington had to put together comebacks in a couple of those contests to overcome the swift and youthful Devils, who made them look slow at times last season.
Although the Caps rank among the League's oldest teams this season, they've defended better against quickness in the first three games of the season, as well as during the preseason.
"I think we're just also playing fast ourselves," says Caps center Lars Eller. "The more time we can hold onto the puck and play offense, the less we have to play defense. And once you turn it over, the other team doesn't have a lot of energy left to play with. And when you get into that rhythm, we look really good when we do that.
"The Devils are a very good young team that is only going to get better and better here in the next couple of years. I think they're going to be very dangerous. They have so much talent. You've really got to respect them. Last year, we were able to find ways to win against them and I think it's going to be harder this year. But I like our team and I like how we've started out. There are a lot of things to like about our game, and I think it's going to be a real good challenge."
One of the reasons it will be a challenge is the Devils are opening the season with a five-game homestand. The Caps opened with a three-game homestand, the first time they've done so since 2015-16 when they opened with four straight at home, going 3-1-0. This season, they went 2-0-1 over the season-starting homestand.
New Jersey won each of its first two games this season, and after tonight's game against the Caps, the Devils will host Buffalo and Calgary before taking to the road for the first time.
"I always prefer to play at home, at Cap One," says Eller. "And especially with a full crowd this year, I think the energy has been great. If you can get to a good start at home, it's a plus. We've always been a good road team. I think we've shown over the years that we're capable of being one of the best road teams and I expect us to be able to continue that trend."
Mr. October - Caps captain Alex Ovechkin has scored in each of Washington's first three games, but longtime observers of the Great Eight know that early season offensive fireworks have long been part of his repertoire, particularly in recent campaigns.
Over the course of his 17 seasons and 1,200 games in the NHL, Ovechkin has scored at a rate of .61 goals per game. But the most prolific month of his career is October, when he scores at a rate of .71 goals per game.
Ovechkin's best October came in 2009 when he rolled up 14 goals and 23 points in 13 games in the first month of the 2009-10 season, but starting in 2017, he has really fired up the October engine. In his last four Octobers - including this one, and remember, no games were played in October last season - he has totaled 33 goals and 53 points in 39 games for a gaudy goal rate of .85 per game.
In The Nets - Vitek Vanecek gets the net for Washington in New Jersey, making his third start in four games this season. Vanecek didn't allow a goal in the first 40 minutes of either of his first two starts this season, a 5-1 opening-night win over the Rangers and a 2-1 overtime loss to the Lightning. He has stopped 33 of the 34 shots he has faced at 5-on-5 this season, including a number of stellar stops in the second period of Saturday's game against Tampa Bay, helping the Caps to earn a point against the two-time defending champs.
The Caps have adjusted their defensive zone scheme a bit this season, to good effect. They have made life a bit easier on their goaltenders - the youngest tandem in the League - with consistently crisp exits and sturdy protection of the high danger scoring areas in front. As a result, they've limited the opposition to an average of 25 shots a night while permitting just two goals at 5-on-5 in their first three games.
"It makes us look good and it helps them, too," says Eller. "The easier you can make it for your goaltender, I really believe that's a key - not asking them to make saves on 2-on-1s, cross-feeds right in front of them and [one-timers]. I think we've done a fairly good job so far, keeping that to a minimum. And I think that's a big key of why we came out with five out of six points here in the first three [games]."
In four career starts against the Devils, Vanecek is 4-0-0 with a 2.44 GAA and a .902 save pct.
With both MacKenzie Blackwood (heel) and Jonathan Bernier (lower body) ailing, the Devils will turn to Scott Wedgewood between the pipes tonight. Wedgewood was 3-8-3 in 16 appearances (15 starts) for New Jersey last season. Lifetime against the Capitals, Wedgewood is 1-1-3 with a 2.89 GAA and an .896 save pct. in five appearances.
All Lined Up - Here's how we believe the Caps and Devils will look when they take the ice on Thursday night in Newark:
WASHINGTON
Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 92-Kuznetsov, 43-Wilson
39-Mantha, 20-Eller, 10-Sprong
73-Sheary, 24-McMichael, 77-Oshie
62-Hagelin, 26-Dowd, 21-Hathaway
Defensemen
42-Fehervary, 74-Carlson
9-Orlov, 3-Jensen
57-van Riemsdyk, 2-Schultz
Goaltenders
41-Vanecek
30-Samsonov
Extras
29-Lapierre
38-Cholowski
52-Irwin
Injured
19-Backstrom (hip, week-to-week)
NEW JERSEY
Forwards
37-Zacha, 13-Hischier, 63-Bratt
59-Kuokkanen, 20-McLeod, 17-Sharangovich
11-Johnsson, 18-Mercer, 90-Tatar
55-Geertsen, 38-Gauthier, 16-Vesey
Defensemen
33-Graves, 7-Hamilton
71-Siegenthaler, 76-Subban
28-Severson, 83-Jaros
Goaltenders
41-Wedgewood
50-Daws
Extras
2-White
67-Studenic
Injured
24-Smith (lower body)
29-Blackwood (heel)
44-Wood (undisclosed)
45-Bernier (lower body)
86-Hughes (shoulder)