They were permitted to open camp Thursday; the rest of the teams can open camp Sunday. There will be no preseason before the regular season starts Jan. 13. Each team will play 56 games against division opponents in a realigned league, with the top four teams in each division qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"I think just for all of us, it's just exciting to have a date where we know that we can play hockey again," Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler said after Anaheim's first practice Thursday. "I think there's kind of that buzz around here that we're all working towards something, towards the start of the season. That was the hardest thing in the last couple months, was [to] continue to work hard and train but not know exactly what you're doing that for."
Devils forward Kyle Palmieri is entering his 11th season in the NHL. He said there is always a lot of excitement and anxiety on the first day of camp, but this time there was more than usual.
"That was a long layoff, and being out there to go out and compete and practice, we all missed it," Palmieri said after New Jersey's first practice Friday. "The energy was high. Guys were excited to be there."
The Sabres pulled back the stands behind one of the goals at KeyBank Center on Friday, and they set up three video screens and spread out chairs on the arena floor to create a socially distanced meeting area.
"We really targeted professionalism and 'get right to work,' so our first meeting at 10 o'clock in the end zone, our new end zone, really, really gave us a feeling of unbelievable focus from the group," Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said. "That's what the guys want to do. They've had enough relaxed time. They've had enough easy practices. They want to go to work."
No time to waste, especially for teams that have made significant changes like the Red Wings and Senators, who finished 31st and 30th in the NHL last season, respectively.
"You're trying to touch on everything, and you have so many new bodies, so with no exhibition games you've really got to use these practices to work on your systems and faceoffs," Senators coach D.J. Smith said Friday. "There's so many little things that go into it."
Three days might not be much, but these teams will take the head start.
Kings coach Todd McLellan said he was in the way half the time during Los Angeles' first practice on Thursday because he hadn't been on the ice in so long. Kings forward Dustin Brown said he was huffing and puffing.
"You have all the training, all the skates, all the stuff you do prior to camp, and then in the first 15 minutes, when you have a guy lean on you, you can barely breathe," Brown said.
Imagine what it will feel like once the games start in less than two weeks.
"This break has given me a newfound appreciation to really enjoy the journey of it," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "You want things to be exactly right, and you still keep your focus ultra-high. But let's enjoy it, and let's enjoy trying to help these guys get better as individuals and as a team."
NHL.com staff writers Tom Gulitti, Tracey Myers and Mike Zeisberger contributed.
Photos courtesy of Detroit Red Wings
