NEWARK, N.J. _ The Devils are no longer undefeated and too many penalties are to blame.
The Capitals scored three power-play goals, including two on a momentum-swinging four-minute high-sticking minor to Pavel Zacha in the third period, for a 5-2 win on Friday night at Prudential Center.
Nicklas Backstrom, who had to leave pre-game warmups after getting hit on his helmetless head by a puck, had a goal and three assists for the Capitals (3-1-1), T. J. Oshie scored twice, Alex Ovechkin scored his ninth goal and Braden Holtby stopped 21 shots.
Kyle Palmieri, who had a goal _ the 100th of his career _ and an assist for the Devils (3-1-0), brought them within 3-2 just 53 seconds into the third period with a backhander at the crease while Cory Schneider made 23 saves.
The Devils, outskated on Friday and chasing the puck for much of the game, have little time to dwell on their first loss as they face the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.
Friday's game was the second in a stretch of six of seven for the Devils against teams that qualified for the playoffs last season and it was Marcus Johansson's first chance to face his former teammates in the regular season after the Devils acquired him from the salary cap-strapped Capitals for a second- and third-round pick on July 2.
The Devils had surprised some, though not themselves, with their strong start as they had outscored their opponents, 16-6, and were coming off a 6-3 win at Toronto on Wednesday night as they handed the skilled Maple Leafs their first loss of the season.
But after Palmieri brought the Devils within one goal, Zacha's inadvertent high stick into Lars Eller's face at 4:10 of the third period drawing blood swung the game.
Oshie made it 4-2 with a one-timer at 5:26 and Backstrom followed with another power-play goal at 7:02 as Ovechkin's shot went in off his teammate's skate.
The Devils, who have not reached the playoffs since 2012 and finished last in the Eastern Conference last season with a conference-low 183 goals, looked uncharacteristically sluggish in the first period compared to their first three games.
That led to Oshie giving the Capitals a 1-0 lead at 15:49 after defenseman John Moore turned the puck over to Backstrom at the Devils' blue line.
The Devils also surrendered the first goal at Toronto, though they tied that game up just 34 seconds later and led 2-1 at the first intermission.
The Devils then faced their first two-goal deficit of the season. Blake Coleman _ who later fought Andre Burakovsky in the second period and Tom Wilson in the third period _ was called for delay of game after clasping his hand on the puck at 7:30 and, just 31 second later, Backstrom found Ovechkin open in his favorite spot, the left circle, and Ovechkin beat Schneider to the short side.
Before the game, Johansson was asked why Ovechkin was such an effective scorer.
"I think he's got a pretty good shot," Johansson said, smiling and drawing laws.
Johansson had already played the Capitals twice in the preseason but said this game was different.
"You really count this as the first one, I think," Johansson said. "The other ones don't really stand. It's not the same. You almost felt like, in camp, you scrimmaged out there. This is something else."
The Devils finally scored on Taylor Hall's power-play goal from the left circle, his first goal of the season despite the fact that he came into the game leading the team with 14 shots.
"I didn't score in the preseason either," Hall said. "I don't want to grip stick too tight but at the same time, I've got to score, I've got to figure something out."
It was the first traction the Devils had gained in the game and it was short-lived. Jakub Vrana deflected ex-Devil Devante Smith-Pelly's shot from the right circle past Schneider with 59.1 seconds remaining in the second period as the Capitals took a 3-1 lead.
