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Matchup Overview
The wait is finally over! Devils hockey returns tonight when their prospects squad faces off against the Buffalo Sabres youth crop. Tonight’s game will kick off the first of three in this year’s Prospects Challenge Tournament, which features teams comprised of young up and comers from the New Jersey Devils, Buffalo Sabres, and Boston Bruins. New Jersey’s squad features a balanced combination of fresh faces and player names the fans are more familiar with. Tonight, a Devils prospects squad headlined by players like Reid Boucher, Pavel Zacha, Joseph Blandisi, and Roman Hrabarenka faces a tough challenge in the Sabres prospects.
Devils prospects Reid Boucher (left) and Graham Black (center) are among several that will play this weekend. -Dailegazette.com
Opponent Overview
Offense…The biggest determinant in this game for the Devils will be the team’s ability to contain Sabres prodigies Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel. The second overall picks in 2014 and 2015 are franchise-caliber talents, whose level of play is well above anyone else participating in this weekend’s festivities. The Sabres, a team whose scoring output has been woeful the past few years, have been on the right path in replenishing their offensive depth through the draft, which is something they’ll be quite intent on showcasing tonight. The Sabres’ overall level of quality and experience amongst their prospects is at a higher level than the Devils and Bruins with eight of their sixteen forwards having played time with their AHL affiliate in Rochester.
Defense…Buffalo’s top defensive prospect is Jake McCabe. The 44th overall pick of the 2012 NHL draft made considerable strides this past season, and is vying for a fulltime spot with the big team. In 57 games with the AHL’s Rochester Americans, McCabe put up totals of five goals and 29 points. The 21-year old Eau Claire, Wisconsin native is undoubtedly going to be Buffalo’s defensive staple this weekend, and should be one of, it not the most-played member of the Sabres prospect team. Buffalo’s defense will feature three players acquired from the 2015 draft (Devante Stephens, David Henley, Brendan Guhle), and one more drafted in 2014 (Brycen Martin). While this could arguably make their defense core less ripe compared to the Devils or Bruins, don’t underestimate the depth of Buffalo’s prospect pool.
Goaltending…Heading the trio of goalies the Buffalo Sabres will be featuring this weekend is Andrey Makarov. He, along with CJ Motte are the goaltenders with AHL experience last season, which should give Buffalo a slight edge in goaltending out of the three teams. Makarov went 16-18-3 in 39 games played with Rochester last year. He posted a 2.91 GAA and .905 SV%. Motte only played four games with Bridgeport last season, going 1-2-1. He posted a 2.49 GAA and .917 SV%. Motte spent the majority of last year with Ferris State University. In 40 games, he went 18-20-2, posted a 2.07 GAA, and .922 SV%. 25-year old Keegan Asmundson split time last year between the local Canisius College hockey team, and the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL. With Canisius, Asmundson went 13-8-4. He posted a 1.96 GAA and .930 SV%. With the Stingrays, Asmundson went 2-1-0, getting a 1.67 GAA and .925 SV%. The Sabres have a diverse array of goaltenders and whoever they play between the pipes against New Jersey will surely be a challenge for their young guys.
Who to watch
Reid Boucher…Why Reid over someone like Pavel Zacha or Joseph Blandisi? In recent seasons, Boucher has ben the Devil’s most highly regarded forward prospect. With the departures of Zach Parise, Ilya Kovalchuk, and prospects like Mattias Tedenby not fulfilling expectations, it’s added additional pressure for Boucher to make the jump to the NHL and become a reliable contributor. If anyone on the Devils has an opportunity for them to grab the spotlight that is being served to them on a silver platter, it’s Reid Boucher.
Buffalo’s Jack Eichel will occupy most of the spotlight this weekend. He starts tonight. -Buffalo News
Jack Eichel…He’s indisputably the best player any of these three teams have to offer. He’s expected to come in and dominate this weekend, giving the Sabres an advantageous edge over the Devils and Bruins. One can argue that a minor purpose of this weekend’s festivities is to give the Sabres fans an inside peek at the organization’s new franchise talent, along with the teams that are competing.
What to watch
The unsung heroes…In recent years, more attention has been brought to all the little things that don’t show up on the score sheet. During this age in hockey, statistics are becoming a dominant factor in determining a player’s value and how they fare against their opponents. While we’re all going to be on the lookout for the youngsters that pull off the nifty moves, set up and score goals, and lay the big hits, let’s not overlook the players that make picks, block shots, facilitate turnovers, and generate rushes. In some cases, these are the players the coaching staff will give a longer look at in training camp than the ones that can just score goals.
Where to watch
WGR
When to watch
7:00pm Est