PITTSBURGH -- Scott Wedgewood is bringing back memories of Martin Brodeur's debut. The New Jersey Devils -- and their brilliant-to-date goalie -- can only hope it lasts.

Wedgewood stopped 39 shots to shut out the NHL's hottest team in only his second career game, Kyle Palmieri scored twice in the first period and New Jersey beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0 on Thursday night.

Wedgewood, who has allowed only one goal in his first two starts, halted two streaks: the Penguins' six-game winning streak and captain Sidney Crosby's 12-game scoring run.

The Devils' top two scorers accounted for all the goals, with Palmieri getting his 28th and 29th of the season and Adam Henrique adding his 27th in the third period to secure New Jersey's fifth win in seven games.

But it was Wedgewood, currently the Devils' No. 3 goalie, who made the difference.

"He's solid, he's confident, he controls the play, he's good at kicking rebounds out to the side, freezing pucks when we were under pressure," Henrique said.

The 23-year-old Wedgewood, called up because of starter Cory Schneider's right knee injury, has turned aside 66 of 67 shots in his first two games. He made 27 saves in beating the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 Sunday in his NHL debut -- the first Devils goalie to win his first game since the 19-year-old Brodeur in 1992.

"I felt confident in both these games, and the guys played well in front of me," Wedgewood said. "It obviously was nice to get that first one out of the way with the win on Sunday, and now a shutout -- I can't ask a better start to a week."

Or a career. Brodeur, an iconic goalie for more than two decades, also won his first two NHL games, halting 47 of 51 shots in beating Boston and Quebec.

The Penguins, who fell behind in the opening minute and never caught up, were denied their first seven-game winning streak since late in the 2012-13 season but remained in the third and guaranteed playoff position in the Metropolitan Division.

"We didn't deserve to win this one," Crosby said. "We made some pretty big errors that resulted in some pretty good chances for them."

Palmieri, who has long since passed his previous career high of 23 goals set last season, needed just 26 seconds to give the Devils the lead against a team that had outscored them 8-1 in their previous two meetings.

Palmieri skated to Travis Zajac's perfectly placed pass off the boards in stride near mid-ice and completed the short breakaway by throwing a wrist shot on net that goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was slow to react to, somehow letting it trickle between his pads.

"They turned the puck over on the first shift and Trav made a great play and (we) were able to get the team on top," Palmieri said.

Later in the period -- and only eight seconds after Penguins right winger Beau Bennett went off for holding in his first game in two months -- Palmieri's one-timer slap shot from the left circle off Damon Severson's pass whizzed by Fleury and under the crossbar at 13:08. Severson and Reid Boucher each had two assists.

"They're a hard team to play against when they get the lead," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "It was one of those types of games. We had 39 shots ... (but) it was a struggle for us to put any sort of collective effort at the net."

With both teams coming off three-day breaks, the Devils looked liked the faster, quicker team early on, though the Penguins had numerous chances to get back into the game. But Wedgewood consistently was where he needed to be to make saves, putting his left pad out to stop Chris Kunitz on a bad-angle shot and gloving Crosby's close-range shot to halt a 3-on-1 break.

"I felt into it. It was enjoyable to make those saves and keep the team in it and to keep them off the scoreboard and get a huge win," Wedgewood said. "I'm confident in myself, and that's one of the things that's helping me move forward."

Henrique provided an insurance goal, beating the Penguins up ice on a rush after the Devils turned the puck over in their end and putting a wrist shot under Fleury's glove at 9:57 of the third. Fleury, who had won his previous five starts, made 21 saves.

NOTES: Devils G Cory Schneider (knee injury, out since March 4) won't play until Tuesday against Boston at the earliest. Rookie G Scott Wedgewood, who made his NHL debut Sunday by beating the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1, started again Thursday night in Pittsburgh. ... Devils G Keith Kinkaid, who had started six consecutive games before that, could play Friday against Washington. ... Penguins D Brian Dumoulin played despite being injured on a hit Sunday by Capitals F Alex Ovechkin. He hasn't missed a game this season. ... Penguins RW Beau Bennett returned after missing 25 games with an upper-body injury. He last played Jan. 23. ... LW Blake Pietila became the seventh Devils' player, and the third in two games, to make his NHL debut. ... The Penguins-Philadelphia Flyers outdoors game at Heinz Field on Feb. 25, 2017 will be a night game, the NHL announced. ... The Devils scratched D Jon Merrill, D David Schlemko, C Jacob Josefson, RW Jordin Tootoo, D Seth Helgeson, C Tyler Kennedy and Schneider. The Penguins held out D Ben Lovejoy, C Oskar Sundqvist, D Derrick Pouliot and G Jeff Zatkoff.