Devils vs Sabres: Projected Lines; Notes; How to Watch, & More

It’s time to do that hockey, this time for real. After seven long months, a disjointed preseason, and a transatlantic flight, the New Jersey Devils are set to kick off the regular season against the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL Global Series in Prague, Czech Republic.

The Devils entered last season with expectations after a historic 2022-23. It quickly became a house of horrors after injuries and inconsistent play plagued the team all season. However, after a busy summer that saw General Manager Tom Fitzgerald retool in multiple areas, the pressure is back on the Devils to compete at a high level.

Newly minted head coach Sheldon Keefe is at the helm and will take on a Sabres group led by former Devils head coach Lindy Ruff. Meanwhile, Ruff will have the opportunity to get some payback against his former employers while simultaneously getting a young, talented, yet unproven Sabres squad on track.

While Keefe and assistant coach Jeremy Colliton are the new faces behind the bench, a few new (and some familiar) faces will be on the ice in a Devils sweater.

Goalie Jacob Markstrom was the prize acquisition this offseason coming from the Calgary Flames. Upfront, Paul Cotter makes his Devils debut, while two familiar faces, Tomas Tatar and Stefan Noesen, return after stints away from the team.

On the backend, defensemen Brenden Dillon and Johnathan Kovacevic make their first appearance for the Devils, while rookie defenseman Seamus Casey is set to make his NHL debut after a stellar camp. One new face we won’t see, however, is free agent defenseman Brett Pesce, who is back in New Jersey as he continues to recover from offseason surgery. Also out tonight is defenseman Luke Hughes after he suffered an injury in the offseason.

READ: Seamus Casey Makes Devils Roster, Confidence Builds with Keefe

The Devils won the season series 2-1 last year and will hope to continue that good form to start the season.

Projected Devils Lineup*

Forwards

Timo Meier – Jack Hughes – Jesper Bratt

Tomas Tatar – Nico Hischier – Dawson Mercer

Ondrej Palat – Erik Haula – Stefan Noesen

Paul Cotter – Curtis Lazar – Nathan Bastian

Defensemen

Brenden Dillon – Dougie Hamilton

Jonas Siegenthaler – Johnathan Kovacevic

Seamus Casey – Simon Nemec

Goaltenders

Jacob Markstrom

Jake Allen

*Lineup subject to change

How to Watch the Devils Game — 1 P.M. EST

Watch: MSG Networks/NHL Network

Radio: DEVILS HOCKEY NET

Player to Watch

The player to watch for tonight’s game in Jacob Markstrom. The first and most obvious reason is largely due to the horrendous goaltending the Devils got for the majority of last season. Markstrom is a former Vezina nominated goalie who has shown an ability to stop high-danger chances and give his team a chance to win every night. He should bring stability in net for the Devils for the first time in years.

Why we’re also keeping an eye out on Markstrom is because of the unknown surrounding Keefe’s system. Not whether or not it’s good, but rather if the Devils have fully grasped it yet. We saw during preseason they were a little jumbled at times and were thinking more than reacting. Given a new system is in place, it may take a few games before the team gets comfortable, which may lead to high-danger chances against. While the team in front of him tries to adapt, Markstrom may need to be their best player tonight, and early in the season to keep the team afloat before they can truly hit their stride.

Next Up

The Devils will jump right back into game action less than 24 hours after puck drop. They’ll yet again take on the Sabres in the second half of the back-to-back in Prague. After that it’s a five day wait until the Devils home opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs next Thursday.

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