Julien Brouillette received what he had waited a lifetime for Thursday — a chance to play in the NHL. After seven years spent playing on eight teams in two minor leagues, the Quebec native made his NHL debut against the Winnipeg Jets and played a key role in setting up the Washington Capitals’ tying goal.
Saturday night, in his second NHL game, Brouillette did himself one better. With the Capitals and New Jersey Devils mired in a scoreless tie for more than 50 minutes at Verizon Center, the 27-year-old defenseman ripped a shot from the left point that found its way to the back of the net. It was Brouillette’s first NHL goal and stood as the game-winner in the Capitals’ 3-0 win over New Jersey.
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Brouillette’s timely contribution — along with empty-net goals by both Martin Erat and Troy Brouwer and a 25-save shutout by Braden Holtby — allows the Capitals to spend the NHL’s two-week hiatus for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi basking in the glow of having won three of their past four before the break.
With the victory Washington moved to 63 points and passed the Devils, now just one out of a playoff spot. The Capitals also snapped their seven-game losing streak against Metropolitan Division opponents with their first win over a divisional foe since Dec. 27.
Patience isn’t a strategy but a way of life for the Devils. They don’t take unnecessary risks, consistently have at least three skaters back to protect their own blue line and can frustrate every last opponent with an offensive inclination by poking the puck away or intercepting a pass.
That identity means that to beat them, teams must out-wait the Devils and beat them with their own game. The first period didn’t offer much encouragement for the Capitals in that department though. They recorded six shots on Cory Schneider (23 saves) in the opening period, but four of those came on the power play and the only quality looks came on their first man-advantage of the night.
Aside from that initial power play, during which Washington moved the puck well and had a few quality chances, the home team struggled to get out of its own end or send a pass that wouldn’t be intercepted by the Devils. New Jersey’s anticipation was on point as the visitors forced turnovers, stripped the puck off Capitals’ sticks and derailed attempts at moving through the neutral zone.
Also working against the Capitals was the fact that Brouwer took a pair of offensive-zone penalties in the first, preventing them from establishing any type of flow at even strength.
While Washington managed not to take a single penalty in the second period, much of the period looked as though the Devils were on the power play.
The Capitals spent the first seven minutes of the middle period bottled up in their own zone, chasing the play as New Jersey worked the puck around but fortunately the best chances often were off target.
Adam Henrique had one of the best opportunities but despite catching Holtby out of position, his point-blank shot from the slot clanked off the right post with 3:16 gone.
When Washington did manage to cross the red line with possession, it was the bottom half of the lineup that threatened to score.
Jay Beagle was able to get two cracks at a rebound as the puck lay loose in the crease but Schneider managed to stay with the play, despite being down on the ice, enough to bat the shots away. The third line of Jason Chimera, Eric Fehr and Joel Ward crashed the net, but they too couldn’t put the puck past Schneider.
The Devils threatened to break the deadlock once more late in the period when a pretty passing play led to a chance for veteran winger Patrik Elias alone in the slot.
Elias’s shot went wide, though, and the two teams drifted further into the scoreless abyss.
