The N.H.L. got back into full swing after two nights off for Christmas with 13 games on its Boxing Day slate for Saturday. Eight of them ended in ties or one-goal regulation decisions, and four of the other five ended with 4-1 results. Strange.

But the biggest game of the night was the clash in Washington between Capitals and Devils for the top spot in the league standings. In the last meeting of the two teams, in Newark on Nov. 14, New Jersey won convincingly and leapfrogged Washington to take leadership of the Eastern Conference for the first time this season. Would Caps return the favor in D.C. on Boxing Day? Home teams listed first:

http://slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com/20...e-first-place/