The New Jersey Devils head up to Canada to face the Montreal Canadiens in their second preseason game on Tuesday night at 7:00 pm ET. The Devils fell to the New York Islanders in their preseason opener on Sunday evening, 4-2.
Overview
We got a glimpse of what could be the Devils’ top line on Sunday with Nico Hischier centering Jesper Bratt and Tomas Tatar. Hischier and Bratt each scored in the preseason loss, the New Jersey captain getting his goal on the power play.
A handful of offseason acquisitions got their first taste of Devils hockey on Sunday. Paul Cotter, Brendon Dillon, Jacob Markstrom and Jonathan Kovacevic all made their New Jersey debuts. Stefan Noesen, who was signed in free agency, played in his first Devils game since 2019. Markstrom played two periods, allowing two goals on 19 shots.
As morning skate indicates, the Devils will not be running a lot of regulars against Montreal. The most notable of the bunch being the team’s projected fourth line and a couple everyday defenseman in Nemec and Jonas Siegenthaler.
For now, we won’t see new defenseman Brett Pesce, who is still working his way back after offseason surgery. One defenseman everyone should be happy to see in Tuesday’s likely lineup is Simon Nemec. He was injured during Olympic qualifiers but appears good to go to start the NHL season.
With Markstrom and Nico Daws playing on Sunday, veteran goalie Jake Allen is likely to be in net against his former team in Montreal. Appears Daws will once again back him up.
Keys to the Game
Roster Battles
If how the team skated on Monday holds true, Devils fans will likely get their first look at how the Michigan product, Seamus Casey, performs in his first preseason action. Casey is one of the Devils’ top prospects and could see playing time in the NHL to start the season with Luke Hughes sidelined. It’s a bit of a long-shot given New Jersey’s depth at defense, but, if Casey has a terrific camps it could force head coach Sheldon Keefe and management’s hand. It will be interesting to see if Casey gets power play one time alongside Nemec or four forwards.
We may not see many regular forwards on Tuesday night. If that’s the case, it’s worth looking at potential depth players like Max Willman and professional try-out signee Kevin Labanc. The former Sharks forward has dealt with injuries and played mostly on bad teams but was a productive depth forward not too long ago.
Goalie Depth?
After this season, back-up goaltender Jake Allen is due to be an unrestricted free agent. With little salary cap to work with, it’ll be interesting to see how the Devils address the second goaltender spot behind Jacob Markstrom.
The goal would be for one of the younger players internally to emerge. Nico Daws got to play a period on Sunday, and projects to be the back-up again tonight.
Where to Watch
The game will be broadcast on RDS in Canada and the Devils will also stream it on their website and NJD.TV. Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm ET in Montreal.