New Jersey Devils: Marcus Johansson Shows Why Team Traded For Him

The New Jersey Devils had so many positives coming out of a 6-0 win against the defending Stanley Cup champions. One thing that may go unnoticed was the play of Marcus Johansson.

It was a glorious home opener for the New Jersey Devils. They welcomed the Washington Capitals, fresh off 18 goals in their first three games. They scored five goals against the defending Western Conference champions just 24 hours prior to playing the Devils. They were riding high.

Then, they came to New Jersey. The Devils spent all 60 minutes of their game with the Capitals dominating. Sure, the Caps were coming off a back to back, but this kind of dominance was still not expected.

Honestly, the Capitals were lucky to come out of the game only losing 6-0. There were five or six amazing saves by Pheonix Copley.

There were so many players who stood out. Kyle Palmieri scored two goals. The Devils’ fourth line scored three goals in the third period. Pavel Zacha spent most of his time as one of the best players on the ice. Keith Kinkaid pitched a shutout. However, one player isn’t getting the love he deserves.

Marcus Johansson was very good in the first two games of the season. He’s been doing great for the scoring lovers and stat nerds alike. Take a look at this stat from our fellow writer Tyler Kelley.

So Johansson and his line are passing the smell test with advanced stats. Then, look at Marcus Johansson’s beautiful goal on Thursday night.

It probably doesn’t feel like it, but that was Johansson’s first goal in all of 2018. That’s right, Johansson has not scored a goal since December 29th against the Buffalo Sabres. It must have felt really good to get that monkey off his back.

Obviously, most of that was due to an errant elbow by Brad Marchand, which forced Johansson to miss most of the rest of the season with post concussion symptoms.

More from Pucks and Pitchforks

• Should New Jersey Devils Try Load Management With Vitek Vanecek?
• New Jersey Devils Will Prove That Last Year Wasn’t A Fluke
• New Jersey Devils: Luke Hughes’ Playmaking Will Outshine His Mistakes
• New Jersey Devils: Chase Stillman’s Performance Causes Concern
• Can Devils Fans Separate Zach Parise Heartbreak From Achievements?

Now, we’re starting to see the Johansson who Ray Shero traded for. He’s got a good offensive game with the defense to boot. Prior to last season, Johansson averaged 20 goals a season the three seasons prior.

The Devils are basically adding a brand new player this offseason. For one, it seemed like Johansson had what I am now calling “Taylor Hall syndrome.” It’s when a player gets traded, and takes a year to get over the shock of being blindsided by his team. Johansson was a part of the Capitals core. Now, he’s moving on to the Devils.

He’s over the fact that he’s been sent away, now he’s ready to produce for the Devils.

The Devils really needed production from its second line. Zacha looks like a brand new player, and even Stefan Noesen is performing well. Eventually, they’ll be paired with Jesper Bratt.

It’s very early, but this is a very good sign for the Devils. Getting the monkey off Johansson’s back by scoring means a lot. Now, he has to help Zacha get the monkey off his. Either way, this was great for everyone involved.