Washington Capitals seal it with an empty-net dagger as New Jersey Devils fade late

The the Washington Capitals moved to 35-27-8 and 2 points with a 2-1 result over the the New Jersey Devils, who left at 35-32-2 and 1 point. The Washington Capitals vs New Jersey Devils recap began at Capital One Arena with 18,347 in attendance for the 7:00 PM EDT scheduled puck drop.

First period

The the Capitals opened the scoring with 1 goal in the first period while holding the the Devils to 0. Ryan Leonard supplied 1 goal on 3 shots, and Logan Thompson kept the lead intact with 30 saves on 31 shots.

Second period

The second period ended with 0 goals for both the the Capitals and the the Devils. The the Caps finished the night at 52 percent in the faceoff circle, and the the Devs countered with 31 shots in their push to tilt the ice.

Third period

The the Devils produced their only goal in the third period after generating 29 even-strength shots on the night, and Jake Allen finished with 26 saves on 27 shots against. The Washington Capitals vs New Jersey Devils turning point came on the the Caps’ empty-net goal, which stood as the game-winning goal and closed out a 2-goal even-strength night for Washington. The Washington Capitals vs New Jersey Devils highlights also included Thompson’s 2 shorthanded saves and Washington’s 11 blocked shots against New Jersey’s 14.

Next game

The Washington Capitals coach post-game reaction followed a game that will be followed by the Colorado Avalanche at the the Washington Capitals on 3/22/2026 at 12:30 PM EDT at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. Fans can watch on NHL Network, ALT, and MNMT, and readers can run it back with more game recap coverage and share this article with other Caps fans.