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Category: New Jersey Devils

  • Game Recap: New Jersey Devils vs Edmonton Oilers 10/10/19

    Game Recap: New Jersey Devils vs Edmonton Oilers 10/10/19

    New Jersey Devils (0-3-2 2pts) vs Edmonton Oilers (4-0-0 8pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The New Jersey Devils are still searching for their first win of the season as they take on the Edmonton Oilers tonight. Kyle Palmieri would give the Devils an early lead. Palmieri skated into the offensive zone on a 2 on 1 and lifted his shot into the back of the net. However, the lead would not last long as Leon Draisatl of the Oilers scored his second goal of the season. After the first period, the score would be tied 1-1.

    In the second period, New Jersey would regain the lead as Nikita Gusev would fire the puck from the right circle behind Oilers goalie Miko Kostkinen. James Neal would add his league leading 7th goal of the season to tie the game up for the Oilers 2-2 at the 19:32 mark.

    Devils defenseman Damon Severson would give his team the lead back at the 15:35 on a beautiful feed from winger Taylor Hall. The Devils could not keep the lead unfortunately. Connor McDavid would score the game tying goal on the power play with the Oilers goalie pulled to give the Oilers an extra attacker. McDavid’s goal had to be reviewed as the referees had blown the whistle as they lost sight of the puck. It was determined, the puck was going in motion before the referees blew the whistle and it was a good goal. This game would go into overtime.

    The Oilers and Devils would remain scoreless after overtime which would mean the game would be decided in the shoot out. The shootout would be scoreless until Leon Draisatl scored the game winner for the Oilers as the sixth and final shooter. Edmonton would win the game 4-3 in a shootout.

     

    Lineups

    New Jersey Devils

    https://twitter.com/njdevils/status/1182422543136894978?s=21

    Edmonton Oilers

     

    First Period Highlights

    https://twitter.com/njdevils/status/1182436048414150658?s=21

     

    Second Period Highlights

    https://twitter.com/njdevils/status/1182455842064556032?s=21

     

    Third Period Highlights

    https://twitter.com/njdevils/status/1182467470197698560?s=21

    Overtime/Shootout Highlights

     

    Final Stats     NJ-3        EDM-4

    Shots:             31              22

    Hits:               31              26

    PP:                 0/2             2/3

    Face-offs:    52.8%       47.2%

     

    Next Up:

    New Jersey Devils @ Boston Bruins 10/12/19 @ 7pm EST

    Edmonton Oilers @ New York Rangers 10/12/19 @ 1pm EST

     

     

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  • NHL News and Notes from Wednesday, October 9th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Wednesday, October 9th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Wednesday, October 9th, 2019

     

    News:

    • Per Mike Sullivan, both forwards Alex Galchenyuk and Patric Hornqvist are listed as Day to Day due to undisclosed injuries. It is being reports that Galchenyuk has re-aggravated a previous ailment.

     

     

    Game Recaps:

    Montreal Canadiens v. Buffalo Sabres – 7p EST Start Time

    MON RoadBUF Home

    Heading into Buffalo the Montreal Canadiens look to pick up their second victory of the young 2019-20 season, however, it would be the Sabres striking first as Victor Olofsson would score his fourth of the season on the powerplay. But it wouldn’t last as Joel Armia would score a shorthanded goal to tie the game, and then with 21 seconds left in the first period Armia would strike again on the powerplay to give the Canadiens a 2-1 lead to end the first period. Then in the second period Jack Eichel would score a powerplay goal to tie the game, and then again at even strength to give the Sabres the 3-2  lead. In the third period Jeff Skinner would score to give the Sabres a 4-2 lead, but the Canadiens would comeback as Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Ben Chiarot would both score to tie the game and send it to overtime. In overtime it would be Marcus Johansson to save the day as he would score 90 seconds into overtime to give the Sabres the 5-4 overtime victory.

     

    New Jersey Devils v. Philadelphia Flyers – 730p EST Start Time

    NJ RoadPHI Home

    The Philadelphia Flyers blank the New Jersey Devils 4-0 as they play their first game, officially, as the home team in their Home Opener. Scott’s TXHT Recap

     

    Los Angeles Kings v. Vancouver Canucks – 10p EST Start Time

    LA RoadVAN Home

    In Vancouver the Canucks look to win their first game of the season as they host the Los Angeles Kings for their home opener, which saw Bo Horvat named the new captain of the Canucks during their pregame cermony. In the first period while on the powerplay rookie defender Quinn Hughes would score his first career NHL goal, then 42 seconds later Brandon Sutter would score to give the Canucks the 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission. Then in the second period Elias Pettersson would score his first of the season to give the Canucks a 3-0 lead, but then Tyler Toffoli would score for the Kings to bring the deficit back down to two. However, the Canucks would get their three goal lead back when JT Miller scored  his first of the season. Then in the third period the Kings would get a goal from Sean Walker, but the Canucks would continue to grow their lead with a Christopher Tanev marker, and an Alexander Edler goal to give them a 6-2 lead. Then it would be Josh Leivo to give the Canucks their seventh goal of the game, and Brandon Sutter would score his second goal of the game to give the Canucks an 8-2 victory over the Kings,

     

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  • Game Recap: New Jersey Devils v.s Philadelphia Flyers 10/9/19

    Game Recap: New Jersey Devils v.s Philadelphia Flyers 10/9/19

    New Jersey Devils (0-2-1 1pts) vs Philadelphia Flyers (2-0-0 4pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    After two tough losses to start the young NHL season, The New Jersey Devils look to get their first win of the season against the Philadelphia Flyers on the road. Tonight former Flyers winger & current Devil Wayne Simmonds returned to visit “the city of brotherly love” for the first time since he was traded at the trade deadline to the Nashville Predators. The first period left a lot to be desired in the scoring department, however, both Cory Schneider and Carter Hart each made some very impressive saves respectively for their teams. At the end of the first period, the Devils and Flyers would remain scoreless.

    In the second period, the Flyers would get on the scoreboard first as defenseman Ivan Provorov would blast a shot pas Devils goaltender Cory Schneider to give his team the lead. New Jersey would have a chance later in the period to tie the game on a five on three power-play but they were unable to convert on the man advantage. The end of the period saw the Flyers maintain their 1-0 lead over the Devils.

    The third period saw the Flyers score twice within the very first minute as they got goals from Kevin Hayes on the power play (his first as a Flyer) and Sean Couturier. Travis Konecny added another goal for the Flyers to give Philadelphia a 4-0 advantage and give his team the victory over the Devils.

     

    Lines:

    New Jersey Devils

    https://twitter.com/njdevils/status/1182054564427714560?s=21

    Philadelphia Flyers

     

    1st Period Highlights

    https://twitter.com/njdevils/status/1182093130218254337?s=21

     

    2nd Period Highlights

     

    3rd Period Highlights

     

    Final Stats    NJ-0      PHI-4

    Shots              25           34

    Hits                24           19

    PP:                 0/5          2/4

    Faceoffs:     41.4        58.6

     

    Next Up:

    New Jersey Devils vs Edmonton Oilers 10/10/19 @ 7pm EST

    Philadelphia Flyers @ Vancouver Canucks 10/12/10 @ 10pm EST

     

    Sponsored by:

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  • NHL News and Notes from Saturday, October 5th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Saturday, October 5th, 2019

    MNHL News and Notes from Saturday, October 5th, 2019

     

    News:

    • The Ottawa Senators announced that they will be retiring Chris Phillips’ number 4 on February 18th, 2020.

     

     

    Game Recaps:

    New Jersey Devils v. Buffalo Sabres – 7p EST Start Time

    NJ HomeBUF 50

    Scott takes a look at the New Jersey Devils game against the Buffalo Sabres which would see the Sabres score a touchdown in their home opener. TXHT Recap

     

    Montreal Canadiens v. Toronto Maple Leafs – 7p EST Start Time

    MON RoadTOR Home

    The Toronto Maple Leafs would blow a three goal lead against the Montreal Canadiens, and would fall to the Habs 6-5 in the shootout after Paul Byron would score the lone goal of the shootout. The Leafs would get their goals from Alexander Kerfoot, Trevor Moore, William Nylander, and a pair from Auston Matthews, while the Canadiens would get their goals from Jonathan Drouin, Brendan Gallagher, Jeff Petry, and Phillip Danault.

     

    New York Rangers v. Ottawa Senators – 7p EST Start Time

    NYR RoadOTT Home

    The New York Rangers would get a hat trick from Mika Zibanejad after he would score a powerplay goal, even strength, and shorthanded goal to help lead the Rangers to a 4-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators. Rangers also got a powerplay goal from Artemi Panarin, which Zibanejad assisted on, while the Senators got their lone goal Brady Tkachuk.

     

    Tampa Bay Lightning v. Florida Panthers – 7p EST Start Time

    TB RoadFLA Home

    In a tightly contested matchup, the Florida Panthers would defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 after getting a hat trick from Mike Hoffman (2 PPG’s and 1 ESG) and a goal from Noel Acciari. The Lightning would get their goals from Gemel Smith, Steven Stamkos, and Mathieu Joseph.

     

    Columbus Blue Jackets v. Pittsburgh Penguins – 7p EST Start Time

    CLB RoadPIT Alt

    The Pittsburgh Penguins would get two goal games from both Patric Hornqvist and Jared McCann to lead them to a 7-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Penguins would also get goals from Marcus Pettersson, Kris Letang, and Teddy Blueger, while the Blue Jackets would get their two goals from Zach Werenski and Gustav Nyquist.

     

    Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals – 7p EST Start Time

    CAR RoadWAS Home

    The Carolina Hurricanes comeback from a two goal deficit to defeat the Washington Capitals in overtime 3-2 to spoil the Capitals Home Opener. TXHT Recap

     

    Dallas Stars v. St. Louis Blues – 8p EST Start Time

    DAL RoadSTL Alt

    The St. Louis Blues would score two goals in the third period to comeback from behind to defeat the Dallas Stars 3-2 in regulation. The Blues would get their goals from David Perron, Brayden Schenn, and Sammy Blais, while the Stars goal scorers were Mattias Janmark and Miro Heiskanen.

     

    Detroit Red Wings v. Nashville Predators – 8p EST Start Time

    DET RoadNAS Home

    The Detroit Red Wings would erupt for a three goal third period to defeat the Nashville Predators 5-3. The Red Wings would get a two goal game Tyler Bertuzzi, and goals from Anthony Mantha, Dylan Larkin, and Luke Glendening. The Predators would get goals from Viktor Arvidsson, Filip Forsberg, and Mattias Ekholm.

     

    Boston Bruins v. Arizona Coyotes – 9p EST Start Time

    BOS RoadARI Alt

    A late first period goal by Brad Marchand was all the Boston Bruins would need to put away the Arizona Coyotes in their home opener. This would be the second game of the Bruins four game road trip to start the season.

     

    Minnesota Wild v. Colorado Avalanche – 9p EST Start Time

    MIN RoadCOL Alt

    The Colorado Avalanche would get a late second period goal from Gabriel Landeskog and an empty netter from Ryan Graves to seal a 4-2 victory of the Minnesota Wild. Mikko Rantanen would score his third of the season on the powerplay, and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare would also score for the Avalanche, while the Wild would get goals from Ryan Suter and Zach Parise.

     

    San Jose Sharks v. Anaheim Ducks – 10p EST Start Time

    SJ RoadANA Alt

    The Anaheim Ducks host the struggling San Jose Sharks as they look to add to the woes of the Sharks, and pile on they would as they would score three goals in the first two periods to have a 3-1 lead going into the third period. The Ducks would get goals from Michael Del Zotto, Ryan Getzlaf, and Adam Henrique to seal the deal for the Ducks as those three goals would be all they would need to down the Sharks whose lone goal was from Logan Couture.

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1180703058377920512?s=20

     

    Vancouver Canucks v. Calgary Flames – 10p EST Start Time

    VAN RoadCAL Alt

    In Calgary the Flames would host the Vancouver Canucks, and allit would require for the Flames is goals from Elias Lindholm, Sean Monahan, and Johnnny Gaudreau plus some stellar goaltending from David Rittich to secure a 3-0 shutout victory over the Canucks.

     

    Los Angeles Kings v. Edmonton Oilers – 10p EST Start Time

    LA RoadEDM Home

    In a wild west matchup the Edmonton Oilers would host the Los Angeles Kings in what one would describe as a scoring festival. For the Kings they would get goals from Dustin Brown, Trevor Lewis, Anze Kopitar, Michael Amadio, and Drew Doughty, while the Oilers would get a pair of goals from James Neal, and goals from Connor McDavid, Zack Kassian, Joakim Nygard, and Darnell Nurse. Once the dust settled and the final buzzer sounded it would be the Oilers holding off the Kings with a 6-5 victory.

     

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  • Game Recap: New Jersey Devils @ Buffalo Sabres 10/5/19

    Game Recap: New Jersey Devils @ Buffalo Sabres 10/5/19

    New Jersey Devils (0-1-1) vs Buffalo Sabres (2-0-0)

    Game Recap:

    The New Jersey Devils are back in action tonight and are looking to rebound against the Buffalo Sabres on the road. The Devils suffered a crushing loss to the Winnipeg Jets in their home opener in overtime the night before. Unfortunately for the Devils, they did not get off to the right start that they were hoping for in the first period. Buffalo would score twice on the power play from Victor Olofsson and their captain Jack Eichel. At the end of the first period, the Sabres would take a 2-0 lead.

    In the second period, the Devils were able to get their first goal of the game on a beautiful passing sequence from Taylor Hall and Nico Hischier to Kyle Palmieri, who buried the puck in the back of the net. However, the Sabres would maintain their dominance over the Devils as they scored three more times. Goals by the Sabres came from Kyle Okposo, Jeff Skinner, and Victor Olofson (his 2nd of the game). After two periods, the Sabres would take a commanding lead of 5-1 going into the final period.

    New Jersey would score one final goal in the third period as Travis Zajac scored his first goal of the season. However, it wouldn’t matter as Sam Reinhart would tack on his first two goals of the season to seal the victory for the Sabres. Buffalo would go on to win by a final score of 7-2.

     

    Lineups:

    New Jersey Devils

     

     

     

     

     

     

    https://twitter.com/njdevils/status/1180612137397473280?s=21

    Buffalo Sabres

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    1st Period Highlights:

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    2nd Period Highlights:

    https://twitter.com/njdevils/status/1180643673698131970?s=21

     

    3rd Period Highlights:

     

    Final Stats:    NJ-2        BUF-7

    Shots:             20            36

    Hits:               11             14

    PP:                  0/2           3/4

    Faceoffs:      51.0          49.0

     

    Next Up:

    New Jersey Devils @ Philadelphia Flyers 10/9/19 @ 7pm EST

    Buffalo Sabres @ Columbus Blue Jackets 10/7/19 7pm EST

  • NHL News and Notes from Friday, October 4th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Friday, October 4th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Friday, October 4th, 2019

     

    News:

    • The St. Louis Blues announced that they have re-signed forward Brayden Schenn to an eight year contract that will go through the 2027-28 season. The extension will carry an AAV of $6.5mil.

     

    Game Recaps:

    Chicago Blackhawks v. Philadelphia Flyers – 2p EST Start Time

    CHI RoadPHI Home

    As part of the Global Series the Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks faced off in Prague, Czech Republic and would see the Flyers down the Blackhawks 4-3. The Flyers would get goals from Travis Konecny (2), Oskar Lindblom, and Michael Raffl, while the Blackhawks got goals from Alexander Nylander, Alex DeBrincat, and Patrick Kane.

     

    Washington Capitals v. New York Islanders – 7p EST Start Time

    WAS RoadNYI Home

    In a tightly contested matchup the Washington Capitals would down the New York Islanders 2-1 to give Ilya Samsonov his first career NHL win. Click Here for TXHT’s Recap.

     

    Winnipeg Jets v. New Jersey Devils – 7p EST Start Time

    WIN RoadNJ Home

    Scott recaps the New Jersey Devils season opener which saw them blow a four goal lead and lose in a shootout to the Winnipeg Jets. Read Scott’s recap here.

     

    Toronto Maple Leafs v. Columbus Blue Jackets – 7p EST Start Time

    TOR RoadCLB Home

    The Toronto Maple Leafs took on the Columbus Blue Jackets which saw the Leafs spoil the Jackets home opener with a 4-1 victory. The Maple Leafs would get a two goal performance from Mitch Marner, as well as goals from Cody Ceci and Auston Matthews. For the Blue Jackets their lone goal would be scored by Cam Atkinson.

     

    Vegas Golden Knights v. San Jose Sharks – 1030p EST Start Time

    VGK RoadSJ Home\

    The Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks renewed their rivalry for the second time in three days as the Knights came to San Jose looking to ruin the Sharks home opener. The Knights would get on the board quickly as William Carrier would score 5:01 into the first period, and then a little later in the period Jonathan Marchessault would score to give the Knights a 2-0 lead going into the second period. Then in the second and third periods the Knights would keep up the pressure as they would get a goal from Brayden McNabb, and two goals from Tomas Nosek to guide them to a 5-1 victory over the Sharks. The Sharks lone goal would be scored by Barclay Goodrow. This game would also mark the the first time in franchise history that the Golden Knights would record two shorthanded goals in the same game and also the second consecutive game to start the season with a shorthanded goal for the Golden Knights as well.

     

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  • Game Recap: New Jersey Devils v.s Winnipeg Jets 10/4/19 (NJD Home Opener)

    Game Recap: New Jersey Devils v.s Winnipeg Jets 10/4/19 (NJD Home Opener)

    Game Recap:

    Tonight the New Jersey Devils opened up their season at home against the Winnipeg Jets. The first two periods saw the Devils come out and take a commanding 4-0 lead over the Jets. Goal scorers featured Nikita Gusev (who scored his 1st NHL goal), Sami Vatanen, and Blake Coleman who scored twice. Coleman’s second goal of the season is an early goal of the year candidate as he was down on the ice and lifted the puck with one hand on the stick and into the back of the net for a sensational highlight reel goal.

    In the second period, the Winnipeg Jets would score their first goal at the 19:49 mark as Dmitry Kulikov would blast a shot from the point past Devils goaltender Cory Schneider. The Devils would lead 4-1 after the second period.

    However, things started to turn around and change in the third. Devils goaltender Cory Schneider would leave the game due to injury and backup MacKenzie Blackwood would enter the game. The Jets were able to fight their way back in the third to tie the game on goals from Jack Roslovic, Matthieu Perrault, and newly acquired Neal Pionk. At the end of three periods, the scored would be tied 4-4 going into overtime.

    The first two minutes of overtime was extremely exciting as both teams would exchange several two on one chances to put the game away for either side. However, the game would be decided in a shoot out where the Jets got the game winning shootout goal by their captain Blake Wheeler. The Jets would go onto win the game with the final score being 5-4.

     

    Lineups:

    New Jersey Devils

     

    Winnipeg Jets

     

    1st Period Highlights

    https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1180272306641391617?s=20

     

    2nd Period Highlights

    https://twitter.com/njdevils/status/1180276319814406149?s=21

    https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1180280773234044929?s=20

    https://twitter.com/njdevils/status/1180279880329641985?s=21

     

    3rd Period Highlights

     

    Overtime/Shootout

     

    Final Stats:    NJ-4            WPG-5

    Shots:             39                30

    Hits:               21                13

    PP:                 0/2               0/2

    Face offs:     50.9             49.1

     

    Next Up:

    NJ Devils @ BUF Sabres 10/5/19 7pm EST

    WPG Jets @ NY Islanders 10/6/19 7pm EST

     

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  • Game Preview: New Jersey Devils v.s Winnipeg Jets 8/4/19 (Devils Home Opener)

    Game Preview: New Jersey Devils v.s Winnipeg Jets 8/4/19 (Devils Home Opener)

    Welcome back hockey fans to another amazing season in the NHL! Tonight we have the New Jersey Devils hosting their home & season opener against the Winnipeg Jets. The Devils are looking to show off their brand new acquisitions that were acquired in the off-season to help boost their lineup and compete for a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Offseason. acquisitions feature P.K Subban, Nikita Gusev & in particular the number one overall pick in this years NHL Entry Draft in Jack Hughes. Tonight, Hughes is making his NHL debut & is looking to show off the amazing potential talents and skills he has and show why he is an up and coming superstar in the National Hockey League. Also, the Devils are also getting a huge addition back into their lineup with Taylor Hall back to being healthy as he missed the second half of last season with a knee injury. The Devils are hoping he returns to his form of two years ago when he helped lead the Devils to the playoffs and posting a 93 point season which resulted in him winning the Hart Trophy (league MVP). If all falls into place, the Devils have the potential to be a playoff team. We shall see!

    Winnipeg is a different story compared to the Devils. The Winnipeg Jets are coming off another post season exit and had a very interesting and dramatic off-season. There was a lot of drama during the off-season about re-signing their top two restricted free agent in Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine. Both restricted free agents re-signed with the Jets this past week. Kyle Connor re-signed with the Jets on a 7 year $50 million dollar contract. Patrik Laine agreed to re-sign on a 2 year 13.5 million dollar deal. Now without the contract situation being a distraction, the Jets are hoping to keep building off their postseason appearances and go deeper into the Stanley Cup playoffs. They also had some big losses in particular on the defensive side. Winnipeg on paper seems like they’ll take a step back but then again, anything can happen!

    Game Prediction:

    NJ- 4

    WPG- 2

    Devils:

    Taylor Hall (2 goals) Jack Hughes (1g 1a), Nikita Gusev (2 assists, Blake Coleman ( 1 goal)

    Cory Schneider (27 Saves)

    Jets:

    Mark Scheifle ( 1g 1a) Bryan Little (1 goal)

    Connor Hellebyck (32 Saves)

  • 2019-2020 New Jersey Devils Training Camp Preview

    2019-2020 New Jersey Devils Training Camp Preview

    Hello ladies & gents, my name is Scott Fairchild and I will be providing hockey coverage for TXHT as I follow the New Jersey Devils this season! Last season I did game recaps for another favorite team of mine (Washington Capitals) & playoff coverage following the Colorado Avalanche. Here’s a little bit of background info on me. I am a native New Jerseyan (Butler) & grew up as a big Devils fan growing up in North Jersey. I have countless memories of the three Stanley Cup championships that were won (1995,2000, & 2003). I was fortunate getting to watch great players such as Marty Brodeur, Scott Niedermeyer, Patrik Elias, ,Ken Daneyko, & my all time favorite Devil Scott Stevens. Those Stanley Cups were a long time ago and it’s time to build another contender in the present. Anyway, I will be taking a look at the Devils as training camp has just begun. First, let’s take a look at what transpired during off-season

     

    Offseason Moves

    Well, to say the Devils had a good offseason would be a HUGE understatement. They had the BEST offseason out of any team in the National Hockey League in my opinion. The Devils really made big moves to help improve their team and putting them on a path to being Stanley Cup contenders.

     

    Let’s start with the 2019 NHL Entry Draft:

    Draft Moves

    First, they had the number one overall pick and selected arguably the best player in the draft in Jack Hughes. He has the potential to be an elite number one center that has the abilities to change the game both offensively and defensively. Hughes potentially could win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie as long as the coaching staff put him in a position to succeed & build chemistry with teammates. While Hughes is the headlining move at the draft, the Devils had 12 overall draft picks as they moved back in the draft order at times to gain more prospects. The Devils did a great job here in restocking their farm system.

     

    Trades/Free Agency

    After the draft, the New Jersey Devils did not stand pat and were highly aggressive in their pursuit to vastly improve the team. On day 2 of the NHL draft, the Devils traded prospects Steven Santini/Jeremy Davies & draft picks for former Norris Trophy winner & elite defenseman PK Subban. The Devils are hoping he shores up the defense and will help to improve the Devils offense, especially on the power play which struggled mightily. Also via trade, the Devils acquired a very intriguing Nikita Gusev from the Vegas Golden Knights. Gusev is considered to be one of the best players who has not played in an NHL game yet. He was a big scoring star in the KHL and the Devils are hoping he can provide the same offensive flair he showed while playing over in Russia. The Devils also acquired forward John Hayden from the Chicago Blackhawks. They are hoping through more playing time he will capitalize on the potential they think he has and what the Hawks used to think he had.

    In Free Agency, the Devils went out and acquired veteran winger Wayne Simmonds. Simmonds is being counted on to provide a veteran presence and a net front presence while providing a scoring touch for the Devils.

     

    Training Camp Battles

    As fun as it is talking about Jack Hughes, there are some other intriguing story lines in training Camp that are just as intriguing as he is. We all know Hughes is going to make it onto the roster but let’s take a look at some other potential training camp battles. Two Devils rookies have a big chance to make it this year and crack this years opening night roster. One of them being defenseman Ty Smith. Smith was the Devils 17th overall pick in the 2018 draft out of the Western Hockey League. He almost made the opening night roster last year before being returned back to the WHL for some more development. He is considered to be the best defensive prospect the Devils have had in a long time. He had 69 points in 57 games which definitely opens up your eyes to the potential this kid has as a two-way defenseman that can certainly provide offense. Another potential Scott Niedermeyer? Maybe, who knows? Smith went onto win CHL Defenseman of the Year award. It’ll be interesting to see if you can crack the lineup this year.

    On the forward side, Devils 2017 2nd round pick from Sweden Jesper Boqvist has a great chance to nab a spot in training camp in the bottom six forward groups. Boqvist has shown while playing in Sweden why the scouts liked him as he played for Byrnas IF in the SHL. On tape, he shown that he has explosive offensive abilities and potentially can play anywhere in the lineup. His ability to crack the lineup is going to depend on where the Devils envision him and getting the best out of this young forward.

     

    Taylor Hall

    Another intriguing training camp highlight is going to be the return of superstar left winger Taylor Hall. Hall is coming off a left knee injury which kept him from playing the second half of last season as the Devils went downhill along with Taylor Hall (amongst other injuries). However, Hall is healthy and is hoping to return to his Hart Trophy form of two season ago when he produced 93 points which helped propelled the Devils into the Stanley Cup playoffs. Taylor Hall is a valuable asset to this team and they’re counting on him to produce offense which they were sorely lacking without him in the lineup towards the end of last year. However, Hall is entering the final year of his contract and the Devils are hopeful they will be able to convince him to stick around especially with the offseason moves they made to show him how serious they are about winning and taking the steps necessary to win a Stanley Cup.

     

    Potential Opening Night Lineup:

    Forwards:

    LW- Taylor Hall C-Nico Hischier RW- Kyle Palmieri

    LW- Nikita Gusev C- Jack Hughes RW- Jesper Bratt

    LW- Blake Coleman. C- Travis Zajac. RW- Wayne Simmonds

    LW- Miles Wood. C- Pavel Zacha. RW- Jesper Boqvist

     

    Defense:

    Will Butcher- P.K. Subban

    Andy Greene- Damon Severson

    Ty Smith- Sami Vatanen/Connor Carrick

     

    Goaltenders:

    Cory Schneider

    MacKenzie Blackwood

     

    Overall Outlook

    • All I know is this, the New Jersey Devils have a very bright future ahead of them as they brought in very good additions through trades/Free Agency and restocking their minor-league system through the draft. It also helps by having the number one overall draft pick and selecting a generational talent such as Jack Hughes as well! There’s a lot to be excited for being a fan of Jerseys team! It would not surprise me if the Devils qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, they are not ready yet to win the Stanley Cup. Concerns such as goaltending & keeping players on the roster healthy are the only things that are holding this team back! With what has transpired this off-season certainly does give hope that the New Jersey Devils could win another cup in the very near future!
  • 2019-20 NHL Previews – New Jersey Devils

    2019-20 NHL Previews – New Jersey Devils

    2018-19 Record: 31-41-10  72pts. – – 8th Place in Metropolitan

    Playoffs: Missed

     

    2019-20 Jersey Guide:

    NJ HomeNJ Road

     

    Key Additions: F – Jack Hughes, F – Wayne Simmonds, F – Ben Street, D – Matt Tennyson, F – John Hayden, D – PK Subban, F – Nikita Gusev

     

    Key Departures: F – Kenny Agostino, F – Kurtis Gabriel, D – Steven Santini, F – John Quenneville

     

    2019-20 Preview:

    The New Jersey Devils entered the 2019 Offseason with the first pick overall in the NHL Draft, and they selected forward Jack Hughes. The Devils would also acquire defenseman PK Subban from the Nashville Predators and sign forward Wayne Simmonds.

     

    Some good solid pickups for the Devils without any real subtractions from their roster. The Devils will look to bounce back from their abysmal 2018-19 season, though let’s be honest. Once they started getting hit with injuries they went into tank mode.

     

    This season should be different, and it will be interesting to see how they do this season and if they can return to the playoffs once again.

     

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