The Washington Capitals shook off an early deficit to beat the New Jersey Devils 4-2 at Capital One Arena on Saturday, scoring three times in the second period to pull away before surviving a frantic third-period push from the visitors. The win moved Washington to 5-3-0 on the young season, while New Jersey fell to 4-4-0.

New Jersey struck first, with winger Arseny Gritsyuk opening the scoring in the first period. Washington answered before the frame was over when Ryan Leonard converted on the power play to tie it. The Capitals then took control in the second, getting goals from Aliaksei Protas, Dylan Strome and Boone Jenner — Jenner's fourth goal in his last five games — to build a cushion that held even after Timo Meier pulled the Devils back within two on a late power-play strike.

Thompson Weathers the Storm

Washington needed goaltender Logan Thompson to close it out. The Devils outshot the Capitals 17-5 in the third period alone, but Thompson turned away 16 of those shots as part of a 29-save night. Jake Allen stopped 21 for New Jersey in the loss. Defenseman Vincent Desharnais chipped in two assists for Washington.

The night's quieter milestone belonged to Alex Ovechkin, who recorded the 761st assist of his career — leaving him one shy of tying the Capitals' all-time franchise record. The 40-year-old captain has spent the past two seasons chasing and resetting the NHL's career goals record; the assist mark would be a smaller, but still notable, franchise footnote as he continues to pile up counting stats deep into his 21st NHL season.

Washington is off to a solid start through eight games as it looks to return to playoff contention after an up-and-down stretch in recent years. New Jersey, meanwhile, will look to regroup after dropping to .500 against a divisional opponent. Both teams continue their season series with matchups still to come later this year.