Mercer Moves to Center When Devils Host Avs | PREVIEW

NEW JERSEY DEVILS (18-9-2) vs. COLORADO AVALANCHE (15-13-0)

New Jersey and Colorado meet for the first time this season as the Devils continue a season-high five-game homestand.

You can watch on MSG or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.

Read below for your game preview and pre-game story below. Tonight's game is presented by Warren Thompson & Son.

MORNING SKATE RECAP

NEWARK, NJ - Fresh off a day off, the New Jersey Devils hit the ice for morning skate today ahead of facing the Colorado Avalanche and while the personnel will be the same as their. last game, going up against the Avalanche, there will be one new-look line.

Keefe has moved Dawson Mercer to the center spot on the third line, with Erik Haula and Tomas Tatar on his wings. It's an opportunity, Keefe says, to see if the switch-up can help spark something for the line. He did also caution that nothing was set in stone.

“We’ll see (Mercer) there a little bit there today,” Keefe said. “We’re going to change that up a little bit. But you’ll still see Haula in the middle at different times, faceoffs and things like that. Just wanted to change it up a little bit; we’ve been wanting to get Merc some looks in the middle of the ice, I know he’s done that here previously, not in my time and not in recent years consistently, but we want to see what that looks like and see if getting him in the middle of the ice can help that group and help them get through the neutral zone and stuff like that.”

"Maybe a small change can shake it up a bit," Mercer added. "We’re looking to have a different approach to it, and hopefully it will be of benefit, a positive."

Three-Headed Monster

The Avalanche roll into every game with a trio of players in Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar that can take over any game at any minute. They are three of the best in the league at what they do and that's why attention to detail has to be above average when you're trying to stop them. Being aware of every second they are on the ice is paramount. MacKinnon is currently second in the league in points (40) and first in assists (31), while Makar leads all NHL defensemen with 34 points. And Rantanen leads the Avs with 15 goals.

“They have two of the most dynamic players in the league,” Noesen said of MacKinnon and Rantanen. “Three if you include Makar on the back end there. They’re three incredible players you just have to be aware of. Everyone is going to get a chance to go out against them at some point and time. You’ve got to maintain your structure and staying with it, and doing our best to slow them down. They’re fast, and you’ve got to try your absolute best.”

"There is just so much pace and offensive skill and creativity through their lineup," Keefe said. "Of course, not just their exceptional players but as a team, they play real quick, they attack your net really well with numbers, so we’re going to be stressed a lot defensively here tonight so it’s going to be one of these games where every detail, your game with the puck has got to be buttoned up.”

Praise for Pally

While Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt take the league by storm with their point totals and fancy play-making abilities, there's been one constant by their side on their line. That's winger Ondrej Palat. The 13-year NHL veteran is certainly more understated in his game than Hughes and Bratt, but he brings a necessary balance to the line to make sure that both of his linemates have the ability to do what they do best.

On Sunday morning, Keefe was asked about the significance and importance of having Palat on the line with two of his star players.

“I think he just does his part," Keefe said. "There were a few plays made in the neutral zone the other night, which were great examples to me, where he gets the puck into their hands in difficult situations, where a lot of guys, in that case, may just simplify it and get it deep and there’s certainly a time for that, and more often than not that is the available play in the NHL but when there’s a window of opportunity to make a play and those guys have speed in the middle of the ice, they’ve got to get the puck.

"So he has the ability to do that while also just having a lot of grind and a work ethic to his game," Keefe continued. "Forechecking, going to the net, getting the puck out on the wall on the breakout, D Zone coverage responsibilities, he does a lot of things that compliment those guys and allow those guys to be who they are.”

Contact Cleared

Nathan Bastian, although not ready to play since suffering a broken jaw in early November, has been a constant during practices and morning skates with the rest of his teammates. He's still sporting a full face shield to protect his jaw, but he's getting reps in at a regular practice pace right now.

Keefe provided this update on his forward:

“Being cleared for full participation in practice is an encouraging step, I think as we get into next week, you’ll start to have conversations with the doctors to see exactly where he’s at in terms of being game-ready, but not quite there yet.”

THE SCOOP

The Devils are coming off of a 3-2 victory against the Seattle Kraken to start a five-game homestand that will run through next Saturday. New Jersey will also face Toronto, L.A. and Chicago over the course of the homestand.

On Friday night, several Devils hit career milestones; Jesper Bratt played his 500th NHL game, Dougie Hamilton played in his 800th, and Timo Meier scored his 200th career goal to become just the second Swiss-born NHL player to score at least 200 goals.

Luke Hughes opened the scoring for New Jersey against the Kraken to score his first goal of the season, helping lead the Devils to win three of their past four and six of their past eight games. Tomas Tatar returned to the Devils lineup on Friday, having missed the last two games with a lower-body injury.

New Jersey sits second in the Eastern Conference (and in the Metropolitan Division), behind the Washington Capitals. New Jersey has 38 points through 29 games played, while the Capitals have 40 through 27.

The Avalanche are 6-4-0 in their last ten games played and are coming off a 2-1 victory in Detroit on Saturday night. Colorado is at the tail end of a five-game road trip, with a 2-1-0 record in the first three games. After meeting the Devils on Sunday, they conclude their road trip against the Penguins on Tuesday night.

The Avalanche will start goaltender Scott Wedgewood in New Jersey on Sunday. Wedgewood served as a backup at Prudential Center earlier last week when the Nashville Predators were in town. Wedgewood was traded from the Preds to the Avs days later.

WHO’S HOT

Devils: Jesper Bratt has been on a tear with nine points in his past four games (3g, 6a), including a four-point night last Monday against the Rangers. Not to be outdone, Jack Hughes is also on a four game point streak with 10 (3g, 7a), including back-to-back games of three points (Nov. 30 vs WSH, Dec. 2 @ NYR).

Bratt and Hughes lead the Devils in points this season. Bratt sits atop the leaderboard with 37, followed by Hughes' 35.

Avalanche: Whenever you face the Avalanche, you've got to be on the lookout for Nathan MacKinnon. He currently leads the league in assists (31) and is second in points (40), while defenseman Cale Makar leads all NHL defensemen in assists (26) and points (35) and is tied for first in goals (9).

INJURIES

Devils: Bastian (jaw, IR), Lazar (knee, IR), Hatakka (shoulder, IR)

Avalanche: Drouin (out), Kylington (unknown, out), Manson (upper-body, IR), Wood (upper-body, IR), Poolman (head, IR), Landeskog (LTIR)

REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS

• Dec. 7, 2024, Colorado at New Jersey
• Feb. 26, 2025, New Jersey at Colorado

GAME NOTES

• Since leaving New Jersey, goaltender Scott Wedgewood has appeared in five games against the Devils and started three of them. His record is 3-0-0 with five goals against, a .958 save percentage, and 1.28 goals-against average.
• The Avalanche have conceded the second-most goals this season (103), behind only the Pittsburgh Penguins (108).
• The Devils are winners of 17 regulation games this season, which ranks first in the NHL.

• Makar’s 20 points (6g,14a) on the road are tied for the seventh most in the NHL this season.