Capitals end season with loss to Devils

The Washington Capitals fell to the New Jersey Devils 5-4 in overtime despite scoring the first three goals of the game.

At 4:36 Herndon, Virginia native Joe Snively got the scoring started with his second goal of the season. Sonny Milano had the assist. Rasmus Sandin doubled the lead for his seventh goal of the season at 5:59 with Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin providing the helpers. Craig Smith addd his ninth goal of the season at 10:18.

Erik Haula got the Devils on the board at 17:06. 3-1 was the score after one with the Devils leading in shots 11-8.

Tom Wilson scored his 13th goal of the season at 1:05 with Nick Jensen and Dylan Strome having the assists. Miles Wood struck on the power play at 18:36 to make it a 4-2 game after two periods. The Caps led in shots 12-7 in the second period.

In the third period Haula scored his second of the night at 3:17. Then Dougie Hamilton tied it at 12:23. Shots in the third period were 12-7 Devils. The game would require overtime. Shots were even at four but it was Luke Hughes shot for his first NHL goal that won the game for the Devils. Devils led in shots 34-31 overall.

The Caps finish the season with a 35-37-10 record for 80 points. That’s sixth in the Metropolitan Division. It’s also seventh in the wild card. Nonetheless it equals no playoff hockey in the district for the first time since 2014. And changes are already happening with the departure of Peter Laviolette. We’ll have more on that soon.

The Caps have secured the eighth best odds on the NHL Draft Lottery with a six percent chance of landing the number one pick in what will very likely be Connor Bedard.

Thank you once again for following us along in our coverage. Keep it locked here for all the offseason news and opinions.