WASHINGTON, D.C. – Despite plenty of pressure from the Capitals, the Devils stayed strong and snuck out a 3-2 win in Washington D.C. New Jersey picked up its second win of the year against this Metropolitan Division opponent and improved to 14-7-2. Tomas Tatar, Brenden Dillon, and Dougie Hamilton had New Jersey’s goals and Jake Allen stopped 23 of the 25 shots he faced to pick up his 200th NHL win.

With 6 minutes left in the first period – Matt Roy scored to give the home team a 1-0 lead. The shot hit off of Nolan Foote’s glove which redirected the shot past Allen. There was a lot of traffic in front of the net as the Capitals continued to pressure.

Three minutes later, the Devils responded with a power play goal. Luke Hughes passed to Erik Haula on the doorstep and Haula got the puck past Lindgren. Tomas Tatar pounced on the puck and pushed it over the goal line to tie the game, 1-1.

Seven minutes into the second period, Dillon scored his first goal as a Devil to give New Jersey a 2-1 lead. Paul Cotter was net front to challenging Lindgren and putting pressure on the Capitals netminder. Dillon’s shot hit John Carlson’s stick, which redirected the shot slightly and helped the Devils blue liner give the Devils a 2-1 lead.

Throughout the second period there were waves of pressure by the Capitals; however, the Devils remained structured and weathered the storm. Tensions rose nine minutes into the middle frame when Johnathan Kovacevic and Brandon Duhaime dropped the gloves. Duhaime also fought Stefan Noesen in New Jersey’s most recent game against Washington on Oct. 19.

Jesper Bratt drew a penalty late in the second period for New Jersey’s third power play of the game. Off a clean faceoff win at the start of a power play, Dougie Hamilton’s shot went high past Lindgren to give the Devils a 3-1 lead. The power play tally was New Jersey’s second power play goal against the fourth best penalty kill in the league.

In the first four minutes of the third period, the Capitals went on only their second power play of the game. Washington held the zone for over a minute to start the man-advantage, keeping New Jersey from getting fresh penalty killers. After Johnathan Kovacevic was knocked down, John Carlson saw Connor McMichael open and quickly passed it. McMichael tapped in the pass, bringing the game within 1.

Following the Capitals power play goal that cut the Devils lead to 3-2, Washington increased their pressure. In the final two minutes of regulation, Washington pulled their goalie and increased the challenge. Allen went post to post and came up big with a glove save to stop McMichael. The Devils hung on, despite it being 6-on-5 and picked up the win.

Here are some observations from the game:

•The Devils power play continues to roll, even against the NHL’s fourth-best penalty kill. New Jersey saw power play goals from both units during this contest. Although the Devils were 2-for-5 on the man-advantage, their first power play only lasted 18 seconds.

•The Capitals have one of the best offenses in the league and the Devils knew they would be a tough challenge 5-on-5. New Jersey remained calm under waves of pressure from Washington, especially in the third period. When there were defensive breakdowns and the Capitals flexed their speed, Jake Allen remained strong in net.

•Two straight games with a goal for defenseman Dougie Hamilton. Hamilton showed his lethal shot plenty against the Capitals as he recorded seven shots on goal in this game.

The Devils return home for two straight games at Prudential Center, starting with a Monday night game against the Nashville Predators.