The New Jersey Devils will be welcoming in the Washington Capitals to open the home 2018-19 NHL season. Plus, full schedule released.
It was just 24 hours ago when Washington Capitals forward and 2018 Stanley Cup champion, Alex Ovechkin, greeted and congratulated New Jersey Devils forward Taylor Hall on his Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s 2018 most valuable player (MVP).
Ovechkin and Hall will greet each other again soon, but perhaps on not so friendly terms. Yes, NHL action just ended, but the league also announced every team’s home opener for the 2018 regular season which begins on October 3.
The Devils are set to host the Washington Capitals on Thursday, Oct. 11, at the Prudential Center for a 7:00 p.m. ET puck drop.
Keep in mind that the New Jersey Devils first home game will be played overseas in Gothenburg, Sweden on Saturday, Oct. 6, against the Edmonton Oilers as a part of the NHL’s annual Global Series.
Both contests are going to be a good test for a New Jersey Devils team that’s on the rise, and a prime opportunity to make a statement at the rest of the league by taking down the defending Stanley Cup Champions right from 2018’s puck drop.
Playing overseas will be an exciting and memorable experience for all those involved, but after the Devils shocked the Hockey World last season with a memorable run to the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs, playing at the Rock against the Capitals is something New Jersey should welcome with open arms.
The Rock will be rocking come that crisp October night in Newark, NJ, and the Devils will have a chance to prove that nothing can stand in their way next season to make a deeper run towards Lord Stanley.
New Jersey is 2-6 over the past two seasons against Ovechkin and the Caps, so again this is another way to let the defending champs know that the Devils and the league’s 2018 MVP will be a force to be reckoned with and on home ice for 2018-19.
New Jersey shouldn’t want it any other way to prove just how competitive they’ll be from the get-go.
The Devils also officially today released the remainder of their 2018-19 regular season schedule. New Jersey has six home games and just two road games in October. Only one of the games is a Metropolitan Division showdown, which will be played on Saturday, Oct. 20, at 1:00 p.m. ET at the Rock.
