The Washington Capitals (19-13-5) return to the ice after a three-day holiday break. They head to Newark to face the New Jersey Devils (20-16-1) at Prudential Center on Saturday night.
The puck drops at 7:00 p.m. ET.
The Capitals have a busy stretch ahead, as they will play their next 22 games in a span of 41 nights. The team played their first 22 games in just 46 nights.
Right before the holiday break, the Capitals hosted the Rangers in D.C. on Tuesday. Washington held a 3-2 lead heading into the third period, but completely collapsed for a 7-3 loss.
The Capitals were hot for three weeks starting in mid-November. However, the team entered the holiday break with just one win in their last seven games (1-4-2).
Saturday’s game in New Jersey is the first of a two-game road trip for the Capitals. They will then head to South Florida to face the Panthers on Monday. After that, the Capitals return home to face the Rangers again to close 2025.
Right now, the Capitals sit in seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings, occupying the first Wild Card slot. They are also four points behind Carolina, who currently lead the entire East.
Both teams previously met on Nov. 15, where New Jersey escaped with a 3-2 shootout victory at Capital One Arena. The Devils were 13-4-1 at the time, sitting atop both the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference. However, New Jersey has been plagued by injuries with only seven wins in 19 games (7-12-0) since.
Expected Capitals Lines
Forwards
Connor McMichael – Justin Sourdif – Alex Ovechkin
Aliaksei Protas – Dylan Strome – Tom Wilson
Ryan Leonard – Nic Dowd – Ethen Frank
Brandon Duhaime – Hendrix Lapierre – Anthony Beauvillier
Defensemen
Martin Fehervary – John Carlson
Jakob Chychrun – Matt Roy
Rasmus Sandin – Trevor van Riemsdyk
Goalie
Logan Thompson
Expected Devils Lines
Forwards
Timo Meier – Nico Hischier – Dawson Mercer
Ondrej Palat – Jack Hughes – Jesper Bratt
Arseny Gritsyuk – Cody Glass – Connor Brown
Paul Cotter – Luke Glendening – Stefan Noesen
Defensemen
Jonas Siegenthaler – Dougie Hamilton
Luke Hughes – Brett Pesce
Brendan Dillon – Colton White
Goalie
Jake Allen
How to Watch
TV: Monumental Sports Network
Radio: 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio Network
Harry Lichtman is an award-winning journalist who covers the Washington Capitals for Sportsnaut. He also contributes to the sites … More about Harry Lichtman