Devils fall in regular season finale to Caps

WASHINGTON - Resting much of their star power, the New Jersey Devils fell short against the Washington Capitals in Game 82 of the NHL season. Pat Maroon had a three-point night in the loss, adding one goal and two assists for the Devils who were absent of Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri, Travis Zajac, Keith Kinkaid and Sami Vatanen. That core of players sat out on Saturday night as the team prepares for the postseason.

The Devils end their 2017-18 regular season with 97 points.
Here are 10 takeaways from the game:
1. Cory Schneider was back in net, his first start since March 20 in San Jose. Against the Capitals, Schneider made 20 of 25 saves. He finishes the season with a 17-16-6 record in 40 games played.
2. Goaltender Keith Kinkaid was given the full night off from goaltending duties. Goaltender Eddie Lack was recalled from Binghamton prior to the game to serve as Schneider's backup.
3. Nico Hischier scored the Devils opening goal at 8:10 of the first period to tie the game at one. Hischier was in close on Capitals netminder Braden Holtby when he tapped home a feed from Patrick Maroon.
Tweet from @NJDevils: Goal 2������0������ for our No. 1������ pick! #NJDvsWSH pic.twitter.com/GrgbNuH8hl
4. Hischier suited up in his 82nd game of the season on Saturday night. He is the only player on the Devils roster to play in all of this year's regular season games. In his rookie campaign, Hischier finished second in points on the Devils roster with 20 goals and 32 assists for 52 points. His point total was second only to Taylor Hall's 93 (39g-54a).
5. Maroon and Damon Severson assisted on the Hischier goal. Severson was back in the lineup after sitting out the past three games as a healthy scratch.
6. Maroon would later add a second assist when he dished out the helper on Miles Wood's second period goal. It is the second consecutive game that Maroon has tallied two assists.
7. Wood's goal with 52 seconds left in the second period got the Devils within one of the Caps, reducing Washington's lead to 3-2. Wood continues to add to a career season with his 19th goal and 31st point in 75 games. Wood had 17 points in 60 games in the 2016-17 NHL season.
Tweet from @NJDevils: Congrats to @patmaroon who collected his 100th career assist on this sweet dish to @MilesWood44! #NJDvsWSH pic.twitter.com/wmYf4FxnNE
8. Maroon's night wouldn't stop at just two assists. He scored the Devils third goal of the night at 2:04 of the third period to tie the game at three. Maroon went top-shelf off a cross-ice pass from Zacha for the equalizer and his 17th goal of the season.
Tweet from @NJDevils: Five points in two games for @patmaroon! #NJDvsWSH pic.twitter.com/8VM0G5uheP
9. The Devils have closed out their regular season with a 44-29-9 record, a huge improvement on their 2016-17 campaign where they had a 28-40-14 record.
10. After going 12-23-6 on the road in 2016-17, the Devils capped off a 21-15-5 record this season when away from Prudential Center.