Devils Daily

Devils Daily: Goaltending Carousel Spins in New Jersey

Published

5 months ago

December 29, 2023

There was a lot to unpack from a busy Thursday with the New Jersey Devils.

For starters, following Wednesday night’s overtime win, head coach Lindy Ruff had some high praise for rookie defenseman Luke Hughes. He even went as far as to put Hughes in the same sentence as some Hall-of-Fame defenseman.

Then, New Jersey demoted the heroic goaltender who helped them defeat the New York Rangers in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. It was an expected move with the promotion of Nico Daws, however, still surprising given the fact that Akira Schmid feels like the superior goaltender to Vitek Vanecek.

All of that was followed up by an emotional practice led by Ruff who claimed he wasn’t frustrated despite using some colorful language during drills.

Elsewhere, a Hall-of-Fame goaltender returns between the pipes in Sunrise. What is going on with Buffalo’s star center? And, will Boston listen to its fanbase regarding a certain player?

Let’s do that hockey.

New Jersey Devils

New Jersey Hockey Now: When you’re a rookie and you hear your name in the same breath as Hall-of-Fame defensemen, it’s certainly a shot in the arm. Devils rookie Luke Hughes likely didn’t need the confidence boost after scoring the game-tying goal during the third period of Wednesday’s 4-3 overtime victory, however, he’s drawing some high praise.

More NJHN: Head coach Lindy Ruff explains why the Devils decided to demote Akira Schmid to the AHL in favor of Nico Daws.

Even More: Coach Ruff certainly wasn’t thrilled with New Jersey’s 4-3 overtime victory on Wednesday. It was the 12th time this season the Devils needed to mount a comeback to secure two points. As a result, Ruff ran an emotional, tough practice Thursday morning ahead of New Jersey’s busy weekend.

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National Hockey Now

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Now is the moment to erase a season initiated with more bad games than good, at one recent point, more losses than wins, and more players fighting their game than enjoying it for the Penguins. Here’s why.

Boston Bruins

Boston Hockey Now: Take a dive into a Boston Bruins fans rabbit hole online lately, and there’s a constant cry for the offensively starved Bruins to give prospect Georgii Merkulov a shot in the show. Will Boston’s management answer the call?

Florida Panthers

Florida Hockey Now: Roberto Luongo made a guest appearance at the Florida Panthers practice at the new War Memorial Iceplex on Thursday afternoon. We don’t just mean in the stands watching. The Hall-of-Fame goaltender tended the net in Sergei Bobrovsky’s absence.

Philadelphia Flyers

Philly Hockey Now: Injured Flyers forward Noah Cates has resumed skating with the Philadelphia Flyers. Cates is not practicing yet, but is traveling with the team and skating on his own.

New York Islanders

NYI Hockey Now: The Islanders suffered a brutal loss at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday. The intensity level was noticeably–and necessarily–raised at practice Thursday morning as a result.

Nashville Predators

Nashville Hockey Now: After being kept off the scoresheet while playing a little over six minutes in Canada’s 5-2 win over Finland in Tuesday’s IIHF World Junior Championship opener, Nashville Predators prospect Matthew Wood had a coming-out party in Wednesday’s 10-0 win over Latvia.

Buffalo Sabres

Buffalo Hockey Now: Welcome back Buffalo Hockey Now! Tage Thompson has been assigned to the non-roster list for personal reasons. Thompson was a late scratch Wednesday night, and the team nor any reports have divulged the exact reason for his absence. What’s going on?