Tatar has goal and assist as Devils beat Capitals 3-2

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New Jersey Devils left wing Tomas Tatar (90) celebrates his goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Washington Capitals center Nic Dowd (26) and New Jersey Devils right wing Timo Meier, left, collide along the boards during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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New Jersey Devils left wing Jesper Bratt (63) falls to the ice in front of Washington Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin, back, during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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New Jersey Devils defenseman Brenden Dillon (5) celebrates his goal with center Paul Cotter (47) and Dougie Hamilton, center, during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton (7) celebrates his goal with left wing Jesper Bratt (63) during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton, center, celebrates his goal with left wing Jesper Bratt (63) and center Nico Hischier (13) during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Washington Capitals left wing Pierre-Luc Dubois (80) battles for the puck against New Jersey Devils goaltender Jake Allen (34) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Washington Capitals left wing Pierre-Luc Dubois (80) skates with the puck past New Jersey Devils defenseman Brett Pesce (22) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

By SAMMI SILBER

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tomas Tatar had a goal and an assist and the New Jersey Devils beat the Washington Capitals 3-2 on Saturday night.

Brenden Dillon and Dougie Hamilton also scored for New Jersey, which began the day tied for first with Carolina in the Metropolitan Division. Jake Allen made 23 saves, including a game-saving glove stop on Connor McMichael late in the third, and has now won three of his last four starts to improve to 5-2-1 on the season.

Matt Roy and McMichael scored for the Capitals, who have lost back-to-back games for the first time this season as they continue to adapt to a new reality without captain Alex Ovechkin. Charlie Lindgren stopped 30 shots in the loss to fall to 5-5-0.

Takeaways

Devils: The Devils continue to surge on the power play, going 2 for 5 in the win. New Jersey now has seven power-play goals in the last four games and ranks second in the NHL in power-play percentage (31.4).

Capitals: Washington is struggling to find offense with Ovechkin out for the next four to six weeks. Before Thursday, the Capitals had managed at least three goals per game in five straight outings; they’ve managed three total in the last two games.

Key moment

On a late second-period power play, Dougie Hamilton fired a point shot off the face-off that made it past Lindgren. His second goal in two games stood as the game-winner for New Jersey.

Key stat

Jesper Bratt picked up his team-leading 28th point on Hamilton’s power-play goal. He has points in four of his last five games, with nine points over that span, and he’s now tied for seventh in the league in scoring.

Up Next

Devils host Nashville on Monday, and Capitals visit Florida to open a two-game trip.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl