Devils Practice Prior to Easter | NOTEBOOK

The Devils are practicing Saturday afternoon at the 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 Details

Forward Jack Hughes was the only player absent from the team's practice. Meanwhile, defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler (concussion) joined the group on the ice in a full contact jersey. Siegenthaler hasn't played since suffering the injury March 11 against the NY Rangers.

"Good to see. I thought he looked good," interim head coach Travis Green said of Siegenthaler. "He’s a good pro. Keeps himself in shape. It’s obvious that he’s been doing that. He looked sharp today."

Hughes had a maintenance day. 

Green noted that Kurtis MacDermid (upper-body) is "coming a long. He should practice Monday."

Green added that it was unlikely that defenseman Dougie Hamilton (torn pec) would play at all the rest of the season, but there was a chance to see Nathan Bastian (lower-body).

Embrace the Process

The Devils have eight games remaining in their 2023-24 season. Currently, the team is still alive in the playoff hunt. But with them trailing Washington by five points for the second Wild Card spot, the prospects of a playoff berth are shrinking.

However, the club’s focus isn’t on making the playoffs per se. That is their ultimate goal, yes. But instead, their focus has been on the process.

“We haven’t sat here and said we have to win every game. No, we have to play our best. How do you play your best? There’s a process to that,” Green said. “For our group, being engaged every game mentally, physically, emotionally and being sharp so you can do all those things to win and take care of that process is how you win games.”

Part of that is instilling the small details that add up over the course of a long season to get the team to play its best hockey.

“We want to improve every day, get better, take it step by step,” forward Dawson Mercer said. “We’ve been talking about it for a while, we just want to keep on learning and make sure that we keep growing.”

Regardless of how the final eight games play out, the team’s focus is building on those small details to improve its overall game.

“It’s a learning process,” forward Timo Meier said. “There’s going to be mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes. How you respond to them and how you move forward. You can’t feel sorry for yourself. You have to come in everyday, work and try to get better.”

Character Response

The Devils returned home after a tough 5-2 loss at Buffalo Friday night. The setback felt like a missed opportunity for the team to climb within three points of a playoff spot.

However, in the bigger picture, the Devils went 2-1-0 on their three-game road trip, and that included big victories at Long Island, 4-0, and at Toronto, 6-3. And the team played well in all three games.

“It’s not like we played a lot better in Toronto and won compared to Buffalo,” Green said. “There are certain things we did better and a couple things we didn’t do as well. At this time of year, you can be on the wrong line of winning and losing and play a decent game. And a lot of times it comes down to those small areas of the game that we’ve got to learn to be good in.”

Dealing with disappointing losses is part of the business in the NHL. And it helps build mental fortitude as well as maturity.

“You want to stick with it. Every game both teams are going out there trying to win,” Mercer said. “You want to be on the right side of that more than the wrong. We have to make sure we keep our focus.”

How a team responds to a loss is very telling.

“If bounces aren’t going your way, keep working and try to make the next play,” Meier said. “Get up the next day, be excited to come to work and have the chance to play in the NHL. That’s unbelievable. We have to enjoy that process. It’s not always easy. But it’s a pleasure to play this sport and have that opportunity. For us, every day we should come in trying to do the best we can.

“We have eight games left. We have to move forward. That’s how you show character. The way we showed up today at practice. I thought we had a good practice. Now we just have to believe. Take it shift by shift, don’t look too far ahead. Win the next game and do everything we can.”

He Said It: 

Mercer on getting inside at the crease on opponents: "If you’re going up against a D-man that’s a lot taller, heavier and stronger, you have to move around him, get your stick free and don’t let him tie you up. If it’s a guy you can out-muscle and get in front of the goalies’ eyes. It all depends on who you’re going up against. That’s the big thing."

Meier on his recent goal-scoring success: "Playing with good players. Nico (Hischier) and (Jesper) Bratt, I’ve been playing with a bit now. They create a lot of stuff. They give me a chance to go in spots where I can shoot the puck and play to my strengths. It’s a team game. Everyone needs to chip in their part. We were able to build some chemistry."