Maintenance Days at Practice | NOTEBOOK

The Devils are practicing Thursday afternoon at RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House inside the Prudential Center.

Stay tuned to the notebook for the latest info, updates, interviews, videos and more from the practice session!

Practice Info

Devils forward Dawson Mercer and defenseman Brett Pesce were absent from practice due to maintenance days. Prior to practice, the Devils re-assigned goalie Isaac Poulter to Utica of the American Hockey League. Two goalie invites joined Jake Allen to handle practice. It’s likely that Nico Daws will be recalled when the Devils leave Saturday for their two-game road trip to Buffalo and Pittsburgh.

The Devils used the following workflow…

Laid Out

The Devils got pushed around by Philadelphia Monday night in a 4-2 loss in the city of Brotherly Love. So, the rematch in the home-and-home series Wednesday night would show what type of the character the Devils had.

New Jersey answered the bell and then some. The Devils matched and even out-manned the physicality and intensity of the Flyers, and skated away with a 5-0 victory.

The statement was set in the second period after Devils defenseman Brenden Dillon laid a hard check on the Flyers’ Owen Tippett in the neutral zone. That ramped up the intensity on both sides and galvanized the Devils bench.

“I hope he’s OK. First and foremost, you don’t want to see anybody get hurt,” Dillon said of Tippett, who left the game and did not return. “For my game, opportunities to be physical, opportunities to step up. It’s not every game you’re going to have the opportunity to have the right gap, the puck come at the right time. There are so many different things that go into it to have a hit like that happen. Things worked out perfectly. The puck being there, the time of the game.”

Dillon is a physical player. He leads all Devils’ defensemen with 126 hits on the year. It is and will always be how he plays.

“It’s a part of my game and will always be a part of my game,” he said. “I enjoy the physical aspect of it. I was really happy that we were able to respond and rack off some goals and ultimately get the win. It was nice to have the guys recognize that and appreciate that stuff. It’s not always the easiest. I enjoy it. I’m glad I can bring that aspect for us when it’s needed in those types of games. We’ll have to out skill teams some night.”

Meier to Mercer

The Devils recently switched up their forward line combinations and one of the changes was putting Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer together.

The move worked immediately as Mercer scored two goals while Meier had two assists in the first game they played together last Wednesday against Boston. After a two-game dry spell, the tandem connected again for a goal (again by Mercer) against Philadelphia Wednesday night.

“When we can find each other and make opportunities, it’s great,” Mercer said. “No one’s complaining when we put the puck in the net.”

“(Mercer) is a good player that can make plays,” Meier said. “But when you give him the puck in a spot where he can shoot it, he’ll put it in the back of the net. We’re trying to build that chemistry. It comes from working hard and communicating on and off the ice. I like playing with him and we have to keep going.”

Mercer has 13 goals on the season, but he’s scored three goals in the past four games while playing with Meier.

“You always try to keep it the same,” Mercer said. “I’m trying to put it in every time I get it, get to the right areas and find opportunities where I can create shots. Put myself in a good situation like that.

“Grinding it and making sure I get around the net. That’s where the puck goes.”

He Said It:

Bratt on the three-day break: "We’re coming off a good game. A good practice day today. We have some breathing room with a day off tomorrow and another practice day (Saturday) to really work on some stuff. I think there was a span there where we just did rest and recovery between games and didn’t get a lot of practice time. Now to get practices in and work on details in the game is going to be helpful for us. It’s an important stretch and we have to keep on building."

They Said It 2:

Keefe on getting on a winning streak: "There’s a mental piece to doing it every single day. When I say every single day, that’s the goal. That’s not reality, but that’s the goal. ... We've got work to do here. I'd like to see the effort of the guys last night, we have to stay with it here. It's got to be an everyday thing that we've got to stay on top of."