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Posted at 1:30 PM EST 

7:05 PM EST. OT included. From our vantage point, there is a completely different feel to the Capitals this year. Last year’s early exit again from the playoffs may have finally taken a toll on this group. The window for a championship has closed, as 90% of the league got younger and quicker while the Capitals have gotten musty. In the off-season Washington brought in Devante Smith-Pelly. That’s it. The departed are Marcus Johansson, Kevin Shattenkirk, Justin Williams, Karl Alzner and Nate Schmidt. The Caps are now left with a bunch of stale players that have seen their opportunity go by the wayside. The Caps opened the season 2-0 but were the second best team on the ice both games. When they defeated Montreal 6-1, the Habs were skating circles around this team by outshooting them 39-23 and out-chancing them by a wide margin too. The Caps have been outshot in every game. They rank 27 out of 31 teams in Corsi against. They rank 28 out of 31 teams in time spent in the offensive end. In their 3-2 loss to the Penguins on Wednesday night, Pittsburgh outshot them 36-22 and made them look slow and old. Perhaps they are. The Capitals are favored on the road here because of their pedigree but the landscape has changed. The Capitals are no longer a powerhouse and the locker room is probably not that upbeat either.

There’s a different feel to the Devils too only theirs is to the good. The Devils have already established a different identity from years past. They’re fast; they’re supportive; they’re attacking and they’re dangerous. The team has scored at least four goals in each of the games played and between the defense and Cory Schneider, no more than three have gone in on any given night. The Devils aren’t just winning but they’re winning convincingly. The Devils are rolling out four scoring lines with balance. An influx of youth, speed, talent and confidence has all gelled together and no longer do guys like Taylor Hall have to be relied upon to have a big game in order for this team to win. We should also not forget that Cory Schneider is one of the best in the game and now he has some offensive support. The fans are going to flock to this arena to see this reenergized squad and in case you forgot, Devils fans used to make Continental Airlines Arena hell for the visitor. They can do the same at the Prudential Center. Man, is this line off. Wrong side favored.

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