The New Jersey Devils are off to a 3-0 start for the second straight season
New Jersey made it three straight wins with a 3-2 victory over San Jose on Sunday afternoon at Prudential Center.
Kyle Palmieri scored his fifth and sixth goals, his third multigoal outing in a row to begin the season, to became just the fourth player in NHL history to have at least two goals in each of his team’s first three games to begin a season. The others were: • 1917-18 Cy Dennehy (Ott), 8 goals• 1982-83 Peter Stastny (Que), 8 goals• 2012-13 Patrick Marleau (SJ), 6 goals
According to Hockey-Reference.com, Palmieri became the fourth player in club history to have as many as six points in New Jersey's first three games of a season. The others were:• 2017-18 Jesper Bratt, 3 goals 3 assists• 2006-07 Brian Gionta, 3 goals 3 assists• 1995-96 John MacLean, 3 goals 3 assists
MORE: Lichtenstein: Devils Use Internal Growth To Get Off To Another Hot Start
John Hynes moved past Pete DeBoer for sole possession of third place on the Devils' all-time games coached list Sunday and the win over DeBoer's Sharks brought Hynes to within one victory of tying him for second place on the Devils' all-time coaching wins list.
Games as Devils head coach:• Jacques Lemaire, 509• Doug Carpenter, 290• John Hynes, 249• Pete DeBoer, 248
Wins as Devils head coach:• Jacques Lemaire, 276• Pete DeBoer, 114• John Hynes, 113 • Doug Carpenter, 100
On Thursday night, the Devils won their home opener, 6-0, versus the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals.
Palmieri scored twice in the win to become the first Devils player with four goals in the first two games of a season since Sylvain Turgeon in 1989. Turgeon began that 1989-90 season with a hat trick in his Devils debut in the season opener at Philadelphia and scored once in the second game of the season, the home opener against Pittsburgh.
Keith Kinkaid made 21 saves in his fifth career shutout, the fifth most in club history:• Martin Brodeur, 124• Cory Schneider, 15• Johan Hedberg, 8• Chris Terreri, 7• Keith Kinkaid, 5
The last time the Devil shut out the Capitals at home was on Nov. 22, 2010, when Johan Hedberg made 30 saves in a 5-0 win at the Prudential Center.
It was the third time in club history New Jersey had a shutout in its home opener. The Devils beat the Flyers, 3-0, on Jan. 22, 2013, in their first game of that lockout-shortened 2012-13 season and defeated the Panthers, 4-0, on Oct. 7, 1995, when they raised their first Stanley Cup championship banner.
The six-goal margin of victory was the largest ever for the Devils in their first home game of a season.
New Jersey had won by five goals twice before in home season openers: a 7-2 win over the Islanders in 1984 and 7-2 over the Blues in 1991.
On Oct. 6, the Devils beat the Edmonton Oilers, 5-2, in their season opener in Sweden.
Palmieri and Travis Zajac each scored two goals for New Jersey in the win.
It was the only the second time in franchise history the Devils had a pair of multiple-goal scorers in a season opener.
Sergei Brylin and Brian Gionta each scored twice in New Jersey’s 5-1 win vs. the Penguins on the opening night of the 2005-06 season.
It was the third time in his career Zajac scored a goal in a season opener, having done so in 2010-11 against Dallas and 2012-13 versus the Islanders.
Palmieri had not scored a goal in a season-opening game since joining the Devils but did for Anaheim in their first game of the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season.
Plus/Minus
Plus: O from Dea. Center Jean-Sebastien Dea, claimed off waivers by New Jersey from Pittsburgh at the end of training camp, has two goals in three games.
Minus: Bad Break. Devils lost right wing Jesper Bratt to a fractured jaw, suffered just prior to the season opener in his native Sweden.