Devils blank defending Stanley Cup Champions

Newark, NJ -The New Jersey Devils were back on home ice Thursday night, playing at Prudential Center for the first time this season, and they gave their fans something to cheer loudly about. Not only was hockey back in New Jersey, there was a victory to celebrate.

The Devils, on the back of Kyle Palmieri's two-goal performance and Keith Kinkaid's fifth career shutout, outmatched the defending Stanley Cup champions, as the Devils defeated the Washington Capitals 6-0. The Devils begin their 2018-19 campaign 2-0.
Here are 10 takeaways from the game:
1. While Thursday night was the first at Prudential Center this season, it was technically the second game of a five-game homestand to start the regular season. The Devils were also considered the home team in the season opener in Sweden.
2. Devils forward Kyle Palmieri picked up right where he left off in the season opener. Palmieri got the Devils on the board in the first period at 7:02, once again giving his team a 1-0 lead on their opponent, just as he did in Sweden. The goal was Palmieri's third goal of the season, and third goal in just three and a half periods of play.

3. Palmieri would not stop there, instead choosing to add another goal to his resume. On the power play at 18:33 of the first period, Palmieri received a pass from the blueline from Will Butcher and sniped home a shot for a 2-0 lead and his fourth goal of the season.
   Tweet from @NJDevils: congrats are in order for @kylepalmieri! with this @psegdelivers powerplay goal in #wshvsnjd, he became the first player in #njdevils franchise history to record two goals in each of the team���s first two games of the season. pic.twitter.com/tu7wohe7Tp
   Will Butcher and Taylor Hall were credited with the assists. The assist for Hall is his first point of the season, and a second point for Butcher.
   Palmieri has started the season with some remarkable hockey leading the Devils with four goals. With his second two-goal performance in as many games, Palmieri now has 16 career two-goal games. After one period alone, Palmieri had registered two goals, four shots, one takeaway and a blocked shot in just 5:19 of play.
   4. With his two goals, Palmieri became the Devil in the franchises' history to record two goals in each of the team's first two games of the season.
   5. The Devils gave their home crowd a lot to cheer about in the first period with active sticks, controlling the play and making life difficult on Capitals netminder Pheonix Copely. After 20 minutes of play, the Devils led the Capitals 2-0 and had a 13-6 shot advantage.
   6. Marcus Johansson is back in the Devils lineup as a healthy member of this team. After being limited to just 29 games last season due to injury, Johansson scored his first goal in 2018 to give the Devils a 3-0 lead on the Capitals.
   Johansson fired home a shot at 2:54 of the second period for his first of the season and his first goal since December 29th, 2017.
   Tweet from @NJDevils: how marcus got his mojo back. #wshvsnjd | #nowwerise pic.twitter.com/9e7Z2qOUyA
   Sami Vatanen and Mirco Mueller picked up the assists on the goal, both marking their second points of the season.
   7. The surge of shots on Copely continued in the second period, as did holding the Capitals to single digits in shots on goal. The Devils ended the second period with 25 shots on goal, 12 of which came in the second period. The Capitals, on the other hand, were limited to just five in the second period.
   8. Blake Coleman scored his first goal of the season from a near impossible angle. The Devils' forward took a shot on net from the goal-line and saw the puck squeeze between Caps netminder Copely's skate and the goalpost. The goal gave the Devils a 4-0 lead.
   9. Recently picked up off waivers, forward Jean-Sébastien Dea scored the Devils fifth goal of the night at 11:35 of the third period. The goal was his first point in a Devils uniform and just his second career NHL goal.
   Brian Boyle assisted on Dea's goal. Boyle would add the Devils sixth goal of the night 50 seconds later for his second point of the evening.
   10. Since 2016-17, the New Jersey Devils are 35-0-2 when leading after two periods. They are also 54-0-12 when leading after two periods in the last two-plus seasons.