MORNING SKATE RECAP
SUNRISE, Fla. – It’s a matchup between the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions and the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. And while the Panthers have been the cream of the crop for two years now, the Devils played two of their top games last season in Florida and hope to replicate that tonight.
In order to replicate that success, it boils down to the mentality from last season against them: “Recognizing the opponent, respecting our opponent but also elevating our play against, at the time, Stanley Cup champions and here we are again, another big test against them, in their building,” Brenden Dillon said. “They’re as advertised. We watch the film, watch them on TV, you know what you’re going to get out of them: a highly competitive, simple but hard hockey game.”
It all comes down to sticking with the team structure as the Devils look to bounce back from their loss in Tampa Bay.
“Knowing the task against a team like that, they don’t give you a lot on the rush,” Meier said. “It’s a tight game and it’s very important what decisions you make with the puck, without the puck, so it’s a good opportunity for us, especially after last game. It has to be a bounce-back performance.”
Mixing and Matching
The Devils will go ahead with the same forward makeup that ended the game in Tampa, placing Evgenii Dadonov on Juho Lammikko’s wing alongside Ondrej Palat, while Stefan Noesen will play with Paul Cotter and Luke Glendening.
“I moved Noes down because I think he helps that line, that line needs help,” Keefe said of the adjustments. “And I think Dadonov playing with Palat can help complement him a bit better, where Noes can do some of the work (on the fourth line). He’s a good forechecker, he’s got good sticks, he’s structurally sound, good at the netfront. All those things that can hopefully get that line on offense a bit more.”
More offense is what the Devils are looking for, especially with their top scoring forward Jack Hughes out of the lineup for two months. It will have to be a collective effort.
“Everybody’s got to do a little more,” Meier said. “We’ve got to get more pucks to the net and hang on to pucks in the O-Zone and make the teams defend. That’s one of the things we talk about, go down there and make them defend.”
