Devils Open Season Against Detroit | PREVIEW

The Devils open the 2023-24 season Thursday night at home against the Detroit Red Wings.

Puck drop is 7:38 p.m. ET. You can watch the game on ESPN+ or Hulu. You can also listen to the game on the Devils Radio Network.

PRE-GAME STORY

The Devils held their first regular-season morning skate at Prudential Center ahead of facing the Detroit Red Wings in the season-opener this evening at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Forward Erik Haula, who has been day-to-day with a nagging upper-body injury, joined the team for the skate.

“You know me, I want to be out there with the guys and I don’t want to miss any games, if possible,” Haula said. “I felt really good in practice yesterday and I’m feeling good to start off tonight.”

The Devils did not skate lines, but they did work on the power play, utilizing the same two-power look as in previous preseason games/practices. That is…
L.Hughes, J.Hughes, Bratt, Palat, Toffoli
Hamilton, Holtz, Meier, Mercer, Hischier

Goaltender Vitek Vanecek worked the starter’s crease.

LINEUP

Though the Devils did not do rushes, they did work them in practice on Wednesday. If those lines hold, it would see Dawson Mercer playing with Nico Hischier and Timo Meier, and Alex Holtz moving to a line with Haula and Ondrej Palat.

“When we looked at our lineup and we looked at what really worked well for us last year, and I’ve talked a lot about pairs that play together, and Nico and Mercer played a lot together,” head coach Lindy Ruff said. “They were the guys playing against top lines, real comfortable with reading off of each other in a lot of situations.”

OPENING NIGHT

Opening night is always an exciting moment for a team, whether it’s your first opening night or eighth opening night.

“We haven’t played a game in a long time. It’s always exciting. It’s hard to put into words,” veteran Haula said. “You want to get that first shift out of the way and settle into the game. I think our group is ready to go and I’m excited.”

“This is my eighth year and I’m still super excited,” Meier said. “I can’t wait. You do all the summer preparation and you work hard in the gym and work hard in training camp. Now it’s the fun part again. You’re battling out there, you’re competing with your teammates, you’re chasing the same goals. I’m excited to get this thing started tonight.

Even Ruff, who has been a coach for the past 30 years, loves opening night.

“Anxiousness to get this started,” he said. “You go through a lot of work through camp and the preparation. You want to get that first game under your belt.”

PREVIEW

DEVILS (0-0-0) vs. RED WINGS (0-0-0)

Head-to-Head

The Devils and Red Wings meet for the first time this season. The Devils also hosted the Red Wings in their home opener last year, a 5-2 setback to Detroit. Dylan Larkin led the way with a goal, three points and a plus-4.

Devils Team Scope:

The Devils enter the season following the club’s record breaking 2022-23 campaign. The team won 52 games and hit 112 points, both franchise records. Over the summer, the Devils added forwards Tyler Toffoli, Tomas Nosek and Chris Tierney and defenseman Colin Miller.

Blueliners Luke Hughes and Kevin Bahl are expected to have a bigger role on the blue line with the departures of Damon Severson and Ryan Graves. The Devils return all their stars from last season, including Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier and Dougie Hamilton.

Red Wings Team Scope:

The Red Wings missed the playoffs for the seventh straight year last season, finishing 35-37-10. They were 12 points out of the final wild card spot. Detroit hasn’t won a playoff series since 2013.

Dylan Larkin was the club’s leading scorer last season in every category, goals (32), assists (47) and points (79). Forward Alex DeBrincat joins the club this season after potting 27 goals in 2022-23 with Ottawa. The year prior, with Chicago, DeBrincat had 41 goals and 78 points. Veteran David Perron returns for his 17^th season. The 35-year-old had 24 goals and 56 points for Detroit last year. Defensive sensation Moritz Seider returns for his third campaign after posting 92 points (12g-80a) in his first two years.

By the Numbers:

The Devils Jesper Bratt’s nine preseason points led the league, while Jack Hughes’ eight were tied for second.

Daniel Sprong posted four goals and five points to lead the Red Wings during the preseason.

Detroit's Moritz Seider and New Jersey's Dawson Mercer have played every game in the past two years since entering the NHL. They'll each appear in their 165th consecutive contest Thursday. 

Injuries:

Devils
Haula, upper-body

Red Wings
Luff, IR