PRE-GAME STORY
NEWARK, NJ - The Devils held an optional morning skate today, ahead of facing the Florida Panthers at Prudential Center tonight. Although optional, it was quite heavily attended.
Forwards: Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, Ondrej Palat, Jack Hughes, Michael McLeod, Curtis Lazar, Nathan Bastian, Alexander Holtz, Dawson Mercer, and Chris Tierney.
Defensemen: Jonas Siegenthaler, Brendan Smith, Dougie Hamilton, Luke Hughes, Kevin Bahl and Colin Miller.
Goalies: Vitek Vanecek, Akira Schmid, Keith Kinkaid
Because of the optional skate, the full lineup will only be revealed once the Devils take to the ice for warmups tonight at 6:30 p.m., however, one player who is definitely not playing is Tomas Nosek. Head Coach Lindy Ruff confirmed that Nosek remains out with a lower-body injury and is considered day-to-day. Nosek did not practice with the team yesterday.
At Sunday's practice, there was some line tinkering which may be a combination we see tonight. Ondrej Palat joined a line with Nico Hischier and Timo Meier for a new top-line setup. Ruff has indicated that early in the season he is toying with different combinations to try and get the most out of each line. And although the club may start Palat on Hischier's wing tonight, doesn't necessarily mean it will stay that way.
"We’re at a stage where we just want to try some things," Ruff said, "I think you’re going to see some different combos tonight, you might even see different combos during the game.”
Three Out of Four
Starting a season picking up three out of four possible points is a good start. Consider this: the Panthers have started the season 0-2-0. That doesn't, however, there aren't things that need to be improved. In particular, for the Devils, it is their start to a game. The opening five to ten minutes have left something to be desired by New Jersey and have left them chasing their opponent instead of the reverse. You can do a lot of damage to a team, with the talent New Jersey has, simply by getting off to a better 5 or ten opening minutes. Explains Siegenthaler, it's about setting the tone.
"I think we can play way more faster," the defenseman said, "Get the puck deep, go after it. Kind of wear (the opponent) out, set the pace. I think we can be better at that, especially in the first five to ten minutes, and at the end, if we set the pace it’s going to be easier for us as well during the game.”
The Hunted
Even though the Panthers' slogan is Time to Hunt, the Devils know that they will be hunted all year long. Of course, the Panthers did go to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, but the Devils are certainly a hunted team going into the season as well with the immense step they took last season. It's a great challenge for this group and one they're prepared to deal with each and every night.
"This year everything is different," Siegenthaler said, "We know we set the bar pretty high, teams come to our building and they want to beat us. There isn’t going to be an easy game. We’re aware of that.
