G23 New Jersey Devils @ Washington Capitals: Another prove it game

The Devils have a chance to prove themselves (again) with another big game against one of the top seeds in the Eastern Conference.

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By Tyler Cordell (@TylerCordellNHL)

A few notes to get you set for an inner-division battle between New Jersey and Washington:

Capitals to miss Ovechkin 

With Alex Ovechkin being out of the Capitals lineup for roughly the next month, the Devils will look to take advantage of the Capitals in a couple of areas. 

The Devils penalty kill ranks 7th in the NHL and has been a consistent strength for them.

Meanwhile, the Capitals’ power play had already been struggling with Ovechkin. They are rocking a dreadful 15.8% conversion rate, which ranks them 25th in the entire league.  

I wouldn’t expect the Capitals power play to be improving anytime soon as they’re ranked 23^rd in PP goals/60 and now missing their top shot-generator and finisher.  

The Capitals have also been struggling analytically over the last couple of weeks. Their numbers are trending in a downward spiral despite posting a record of 6-3-1 over their last 10 games.  

At 5v5 they have just a 40.67 xGF% over the past two weeks. They have outshot their analytics of late – as they’ve historically done in the Ovechkin era – but they will have a much tougher time doing that without their Captain.  

Devils eager to see Charlie Lindgren