Devils Postgame
Devils Postgame: Devils Kick Off Season with Win vs. Buffalo Sabres
The New Jersey Devils kicked off their season with a 4-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres at the Global Series in Prague, Czechia.
A six-month-long wait finally ended today as the New Jersey Devils kicked off their 2024-25 campaign against the Buffalo Sabres in Prague, Czechia.
Led onto the ice by debutant goalie Jacob Markstrom, the Sheldon Keefe Devils took down the Lindy Ruff-led Sabres 4-1.
Devils Recap
It was a little bit of a sloppy start for both sides, but the energy was there from the puck drop. It was the Sabres who made the first big mistake of the day; a failed clearance found its way to Johnathan Kovacevic, who fed a wide open Stefan Noesen, who sniped one upstairs on Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. It was quite the first period for Kovacevic as he added to the Devils lead off of a wrist shot from the point. The Sabres responded with an immediate pushback, but Markstrom had other ideas: making a diving stick save for what may already be the Save of the Season.
The Sabres pushed hard early in the second, but a great shift by the Devils fourth line resulted in a Nico Hischier goal as he came streaking in off the bench and put the puck into a largely open net. The two sides would trade chances over the next 20 minutes of play. The Sabres would finally capitalize a little over halfway through the third period off a goal from Owen Power. The ice was fully tilted in their favor, but Markstrom and the Devils bent but didn’t break. An empty net goal by Paul Cotter would ice the game and give the Devils their first win of the season.
Devils Takeaways
The Debutants
There were plenty of players (and coaches) making their Devils debut today, and they did not disappoint. Behind the bench, Sheldon Keefe had his team ready to play. Too often under Lindy Ruff and Travis Green did the Devils fall face first to open games. Today was different. Keefe utilized the Tatar – Hischier – Mercer line to start periods or in important defensive zone draws, and they were very effective.
Puck pressure and sprinting to your spots on the ice was something we had heard Keefe preach all season, and while not perfect, the Devils did a great job smothering Sabres players, especially in the neutral zone.
On the ice, the Devils debutants made their presence felt. Nobody else on the ice tonight may have had a better game than Jacob Markstrom. He stopped 30 of 31 shots, including a highlight reel stick save. His rebound control was night and day better than what was seen out of Devils goalies last season, and he did a fantastic job smothering pucks. One of the big reasons why Markstrom was brought in was because of his high-danger saves and goals saved above expected, and he didn’t disappoint. Markstrom had four high-danger scoring chances saved, as well as 2.49 GSAx, according to MoneyPuck.
Elsewhere, bottom-six newcomers Stefan Noesen and Paul Cotter found themselves on the scoresheet but, more importantly, were willing to throw the body around. On the backend, Brenden Dillon and Johnathan Kovacevic had great games to start the season. Kovacevic had a goal and an assist, while Dillon was tied for the team lead in hits with three.
Finally, rookie defenseman Seamus Casey displayed his elite skating and puck skills in his first NHL game. In 13:14 of ice time, Casey had two hits, one block, and one shot attempt while also quarterbacking the second power play unit and showing off his deceptiveness with his hands and feet.
Players Back From Injuries
One reason why the 2023-24 season went up in flames was the injury bug. While it still haunts guys like Brett Pesce and Luke Hughes, multiple players returned from injury-riddled campaigns. Most notable was Dougie Hamilton returning to game action for the first time in almost a year. Even with all that time off, he ended today second on the team in TOI with 21:59 and led the team in shots on goal with four.
Jack Hughes and Timo Meier were two players who dealt with nagging injuries all last season yet still finished today first and third in TOI among Devils forwards. Despite a clean bill of health, Jack looked just a hair off his timing and slightly weary of contact. It may take him a few games before he can be fully confident in that surgically repaired shoulder.
Meier looked solid but also still left a little on the table. He threw his body around and parked himself in front of the net, but he still needs to hit another gear to get to the levels he was at the end of 2023-24.
Also, Nathan Bastian returned to the lineup after missing a big chunk of last year through injury. A player who had to fight off some competition in camp, Bastian did himself a favor today by recording two assists. He uncharacteristically ended the night with zero hits, but we’d suspect that to change going forward.
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