The Devils had two goaltenders on the ice - Jeremy Brodeur and Isaac Poulter. Utica Comets head coach Kevin Dineen confirmed that Poulter will get the start. He played 40 minutes against the NY Rangers on Tuesday night and stopped 26 of the 30 shots he faced. Something that has stuck out to Poulter's teammates is his hard work:
“He’s awesome,” Filip Engaras explained. “He works so hard. How good he is, is (because of) how hard he works. It’s fun to see him out there and he’ll give us a good game.”
Cam Squires gets his first preseason game as he draws into the lineup on the third line with Mike Hardman and Engaras. Dineen specifically put Squires on a line with Hardman due to the way he works, prepares, and plays. When it comes to what the bench boss wants to see out of Squires, part of it is building off the strong performances he had in the Prospects Challenge:
“What we’ve seen in Buffalo and our development camps, and his play last season, he’s a hard kid and he plays the game the right way,” Dineen said about Squires. “He’s got a great skill set. We’re going to throw him on the power play there, give him an opportunity in that spot and just go out and play, show his intelligence. I was really impressed with his string of games in our rookie camp in Buffalo, we’re looking for him to continue that. It’s been a long time (since he last played) so I know he’s itching to get into the lineup.”
Squires will turn to veterans like Hardman and Kevin Labanc who have played NHL games as he gets this first opportunity in the lineup.
“I think it’s just getting in there and getting into the game early,” Squires explained. “I think (it’s) just excitement, nerves, all of it’s a big part. But being so young, I think it’s just using my youth, take it all in, talk to the guys who’ve played games in the NHL and they’ve been around for awhile. So just pick their brain and enjoy the experience.”
No matter who it is, every player in the lineup is expected to work hard and bring a high compete level throughout a full 60 minutes. The Devils opponent tonight is know for being a driven, physical group that can be hard to play against.
“Just watching their preseason games, boy there’s a lot of effort out there,” Dineen shared. “Kind of similar to the way that our team’s played in the last two games. It should make for a really good, intense final preseason game.”
“Bring the energy like we did Tuesday night,” Engaras said Thursday. “I think we had a great start, we really played well. I think that’s important, come out, play hard, and enjoy it too.”
Adam Beckman joined the team for his first on-ice activities today. Although he isn't ready yet for a game, it was a solid step in his road to recovery.
“He looked good there today, we have not seen him (on the ice)," Dineen said. "He’s been sheepishly looking at me from the medical room for a couple weeks here. It’s great to see him on the ice instead. I think he’s going to be a really good edition to our group and we’re really looking forward to having him on the ice.”
