PRE-GAME STORY
NEWARK, NJ - The Devils held a full morning skate ahead of hosting the Chicago Blackhawks at Prudential Center. Forwards Timo Meier (mid-body) and Ondrej Palat (lower-body) did not participate in the session.
“Both players weren’t on the ice today, they worked off ice,” head coach Lindy Ruff said. “I have no timetable for them.”
The Devils used the following workflow…
Haula – Hischier – Mercer
Toffoli – Hughes – Bratt
Lazar – McLeod – Holtz
Bastian – Tierney – Smith
Siegenthaler – Nemec
Hughes – Marino
Bahl – Miller
Vanecek working the starter’s crease.
PP1: L.Hughes, J.Hughes, Bratt, Toffoli, Hischier
PP2: Nemec, Holtz, Haula, Mercer, Bastian
Hey Now, You’re an All-Star
Devils center Jack Hughes was named as the team’s representative for the annual NHL All-Star Game in Toronto. It’ll be Hughes’ third All-Star Game appearance.
“It’s good. It’s really exciting. To represent the Devils there is an honor,” he said. “Being there with (brother) Quinn. It should be a lot of fun.”
Home Rebound
The Devils are coming off a 6-3 win at Washington Wednesday night. New Jersey improved to 12-6 on the road. Now the club would like to improve on its 8-8-2 mark at home.
“We played a good game (at Washington). We just have to come out and straighten our home game out,” Hughes said. “We’ve been pretty good on the road. We’d like to come out and play a strong game at home for the fans.”
Special Teams
The Devils power play has started to heat up again. It still ranks first overall in the NHL (30.6%), and has clicked for four goals in the past three games. What’s the cause?
“Better execution,” Ruff said. “We’re finding holes now. You go through periods where you don’t find holes and don’t execute as well. Our entries, we’ve done a better job with those at the same time.”
On the flip side, forward Jesper Bratt has really seen his minutes on the penalty kill increase. He’s developed into a much better PKer over the course of the season.
“His quickness inside the zone has allowed him to garner one of those positions,” Ruff said.
“I take a lot of pride in it,” Bratt said. “I want to be a guy that can be on the ice in any situation, the team trusts. I like being out there in those key moments of the game when the team needs me.”
Blackhawks Scout
Bratt gave his outlook on the Blackhawks: “They’re a young, fast team. They play offensive, quick hockey. We’ve got to bring our A Game tonight. They’re going through a rebuild. Their getting a lot of young prospects that look really good. It should be a fun game.”
Of course, when it comes to the Blackhawks you have to mention 2023 first-overall pick Connor Bedard. The 18-year-old has 15 goals and 33 points in 38 games so far this season.
“He’s had a really good year,” Hughes said. “I can’t say I’ve watched him much but you follow it and he’s been doing really well.”
“He’s a fun guy to watch,” Bratt said. “He’s just going to grow even more. He’s handled everything really well as a first-overall guy. You get a lot of attention everywhere you go.”
