Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, of Russia, celebrates his power-play goal against the New Jersey Devils during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Friday, Oct. 13, 2017, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, of Russia, celebrates his power-play goal against the New Jersey Devils during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Friday, Oct. 13, 2017, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Credit: Julio Cortez

Newark, n.j. — Nicklas Backstrom had a goal and three assists and the Washington Capitals knocked the surprising New Jersey Devils from the unbeaten ranks with a 5-2 victory on Friday night.

T.J. Oshie had two goals and an assist, and Alex Ovechkin scored his ninth of the season and set up Backstrom’s power-play tally to help Washington hand New Jersey its first loss in four games.

Jacub Vrana also scored for the Capitals, and Braden Holtby had 21 saves. Washington is 8-0-1 in its last nine games against New Jersey.

Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri scored for the Devils, who had surprised many with their quick start after finishing in the basement in the Eastern Conference last season. Cory Schneider made 23 saves, getting beat three times on the power play.

The Capitals clearly were the better team in this one. They forechecked well and bottled up the Devils in the neutral zone, limiting an offense that had 16 goals in its first three games.

Blue Jackets 3, Rangers 1

Columbus, Ohio — Artemi Panarin and Seth Jones scored to rally Columbus over New York.

Zach Werenski had two assists and Lukas Sedlak added an empty-net goal for Columbus.

Panarin, acquired from Chicago in the offseason, got his first goal with the Blue Jackets. He snaked through the defense and beat goaltender Henrik Lundqvist between the pads 7:25 into the third for a 2-1 lead. He’s tied for the team lead with four points.

Sergei Bobrovsky had 37 saves for Columbus, and Lundqvist stopped 40 shots.