PRE-GAME STORY
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The Devils held a morning skate at SAP Center in San Jose ahead of facing the Sharks. The team had full attendance and used the following workflow…
Meier – Hischier – Bratt
Palat – Hughes – Lazar
Toffoli – Haula – Mercer
Nosek – Tierney – Holtz
(Halonen)
Bahl – Marino
Hughes – Smith
Siegenthaler – Nemec
Miller – DeSimone
Daws worked the starter’s end.
Happy Returns
It’s been over a year – 366 days to be exact – that Timo Meier has played a game at the SAP Center. Meier joined the Devils last season near the trade deadline. Though he did already face his former Sharks teammates earlier in the season, this will be his first game in his old barn since joining the Devils.
“It definitely feels weird being back for the first time. I spent a lot of time here,” Meier said. “It’s definitely special. It’s going to be weird tonight. But it’s an important game for us. We need to win a hockey game. When the puck drops it’s straight business.”
Meier did go back through some of his old routines in his old setting.
“Grab some coffee and walk around in the morning and get some sun,” he said of his day. “Sitting in the place I have the last couple of years with some coffee and going through some memories.”
Meier joined the Devils and combined to score 40 goals last season. He inked an eight-year, 80-plus million contract extension over the summer, but has just 11 on the current season.
“Some adversity but I think it’s a new chapter. It’s exciting to be on this team. Overcome this and personally try to grow as a player,” he said. “I always have high expectations for myself. I want to grow as a player and I want to win. I try to get better every day. There are highs and lows. Just learning from them and staying positive. Come in every day with a positive attitude and willing to get better.”
Happy Returns(ish)
Meier isn’t the only former Shark on the Devils roster. Chris Tierney also played for San Jose at the start of his career, which included a 2016 Stanley Cup Final run.
Road Trippin’
The Devils begin a three-game West Coast swing in San Jose followed by contests at Anaheim and Los Angeles. Sometimes, when a team is struggling, getting on the road is a way for a team to coalesce.
“Road trips are sometimes good for a time. We have to use this road trip to get momentum,” captain Nico Hischier said. “We know that we need the wins now. It’s a big game for us tonight.”
Ground Game
The Devils are five points behind Philadelphia for the third spot in the Metro Division. But, with just 24 games remaining in the season, there is little time to make up ground. So, every game is essentially a playoff game for the Devils from here on.
“We know where we are. But we can’t focus too much on that,” Hischier said of the Devils being on the outside of the currently playoffs. “We know where we’re at. We just need wins. We need the right mindset. We’ve had frustrating games. We’re all professional athletes. We have to bury that and have a fresh mindset coming into tonight. The season is not done. But we also know we have to do something now.”
The Sharks and Ducks are two teams near the bottom of the standings. That doesn’t mean they’ll be easy wins by any means. But it does mean it’s an opportunity that the Devils cannot miss on.
“Get rolling. Win a couple games in a row. That’s when you get the confidence back,” Hischier said. “That’s when the team plays light. We need a couple wins in a row.”
“We understand the way we need to play,” head coach Lindy Ruff said. “We focus on the opponent we’re playing that day. We have to take it a game at a time.”
