NEW JERSEY DEVILS (10-5-0) vs. ST. LOUIS BLUES (7-7-1)

The Devils host the St. Louis Blues Thursday night at Prudential Center for Military Appreciation Night presented by Prudential. Puck drop is 7:08 p.m. ET.

Read below for your Game Preview presented by Diversified Rack & Shelving and check back for the Morning Skate Recap.

MORNING SKATE RECAP

NEWARK, N.J. - The Devils held their morning skate at Prudential Center ahead of hosting the St. Louis Blues. There are no expected changes to the lineup with Connor Hellebuyck in goal.

Defense First

The Devils commitment to the defensive side of the puck has been well documented this season. And the key to that development has been the players buying in.

“You have to defend to win games. If not, you're kind of leaving it up to a coin flip and whoever puts the puck in the net kind of wins,” forward Evan Rodrigues said. “

But if you can limit their chances and dominate the game and not give them grade A's and odd-man rushes, then I think we'll out-talent teams most of the time. And there's been a buy-in from it, there's been a commitment to it.”

Plus, sometimes the best offense is a good defense.

“I think what everyone is starting to realize is that when we do play that way, we get more offense out of it,” Rodrigues said. “By playing hard defensively and back-checking, you're not sacrificing the offensive part of the game. You're actually getting more out of it, and I think guys realize that.”

Paired

The Devils duo of Brett Pesce and Luke Hughes has played together for two-plus seasons now. And the tandem has grown into a true shutdown pairing, particularly as of late.

“In the last stretch of games here, I don't even know how many games we'd say it is now, but it's been a good run, eight games or so,” Keefe said. “Luke has been so good defensively. Pesce’s always that. Like, Pesce’s very responsible. He's a bit of a fireman out there, and when things get a little hairy, he's putting out the fires and, and killing plays and getting us to settle down.

“Luke's playing the way he is now, there's not as many fires, and we're getting the puck back a lot quicker. So, that's been a significant development, and as I've said before, a very necessary one.”

Keefe has spoken previously on the need for Luke Hughes to elevate his game into a true No. 1 defenseman for the team to have any real success on the ice.

“We want to be a serious team. We need Luke to be that guy on both sides of the puck,” Keefe said. “And he has been. It's been really good and fun to watch him grow, even in this short season. But obviously, it's from now season over season that he's made the choice that this is important. And I think he's seeing the benefits, as are we.”

Scouting the Blues

Keefe: “Just a team that checks extremely hard, play ery structured game defensively, elite penalty kill, No. 1 in the league in not giving up high-danger chances. So difficult team to get to their net. So that's pretty similar to Edmonton in that sense. But again, our big thing is just with our game, to not take a step back, keep building, have the same mentality night in, night out, no matter who we're, we're going up against.”

THE SCOOP

The Devils return to action Thursday night against the St. Louis Blues, looking to continue a strong stretch that has seen them win six of their last seven games.

New Jersey improved to 10-5-0 with a 4-3 shootout victory over Edmonton Tuesday night at Prudential Center. The Devils held a 3-1 lead in the second period before the Oilers rallied to force overtime, but New Jersey prevailed in the shootout to hand Edmonton its first road loss of the season.

Jack Hughes led the way with two goals and an assist, while Connor Brown scored his first goal of the season and added a helper. Jesper Bratt and Arseny Gritsyuk scored in the shootout, with Gritsyuk converting the deciding attempt.

The game also marked Connor Hellebuyck's first home appearance as a Devil following his acquisition from Winnipeg on Oct. 23. Hellebuyck made 18 saves, including a key third-period stop on Connor McDavid, and turned aside all three Edmonton shooters in the shootout. He is now 3-0-0 since joining New Jersey.

After opening the season 2-3-0, the Devils have gone 8-2-0 in their last 10 games, including victories over Colorado, Anaheim, Los Angeles, Dallas, Vegas and Edmonton.

Jack Hughes has been at the center of New Jersey's recent success. The 25-year-old leads the Devils with 19 points (8g-11a) through 15 games, while Arseny Gritsyuk has emerged as one of the team's top goal scorers with eight goals of his own.

New Jersey has also seen improved production from its power play. After making adjustments to the top unit before Tuesday's game, the Devils converted twice with the man advantage against Edmonton. Connor Brown was involved in both goals, scoring once and setting up Hughes' second of the night.

St. Louis arrives in Newark with a 7-7-1 record after falling 3-1 to the Rangers Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.

The Blues generated 33 shots against New York but were held scoreless until Pius Suter scored with 52 seconds remaining in regulation. Rangers goaltender Dylan Garand made 32 saves, while Joel Hofer stopped 28 shots for St. Louis.

St. Louis went 0-for-6 on the power play in the loss, which ended a two-game winning streak.

Prior to the Rangers game, the Blues had rallied for a 5-4 victory over Detroit on Saturday. Trailing 4-2 in the third period, St. Louis scored three unanswered goals, with Justin Barron and Aleksanteri Kaskimaki scoring just 18 seconds apart to complete the comeback.

The Blues are led offensively by Dylan Holloway, who has 12 points (3g-9a) through 15 games. Jimmy Snuggerud leads the team with eight goals, while offseason addition Mason McTavish has six goals and 10 points.

St. Louis is playing the third game of a four-game road trip that concludes Saturday in Nashville.

The Devils swept the two-game season series against the Blues in 2025-26, winning 3-2 in overtime at Prudential Center in November and 3-1 in St. Louis in February.

Thursday is the first of two meetings between the teams this season.

MILITARY APPRECIATION NIGHT PRESENTED BY PRUDENTIAL

The Devils will honor current and former members of the United States Armed Forces Thursday as part of the organization's 16th annual Military Appreciation Night presented by Prudential.

• Military Cap Giveaway: The first 9,000 fans in attendance will receive a military cap courtesy of Prudential.

• Player Arrivals: Devils players will arrive alongside service dogs from Paws of War, an organization supporting veterans, active military personnel and first responders.

• Ceremonial Puck Drop: Bob Walsh, a 100-year-old World War II veteran and New Jersey native, will take part in a special pregame ceremony.

• Concourse Activities: Fans can visit military-themed activations, including the Prudential "Here For Our Heroes" experience near Section 19, and additional activities near Sections 17 and 18.

• Military Appreciation Sweepstakes: Fans can enter for a chance to win prizes, including a team-signed jersey, player-signed helmet and tickets to a future Devils home game.

• Devils Den Discount: Active military members and veterans with military identification will receive a 10% discount at Devils Den Team Stores during the game. The offer cannot be combined with other discounts.

Thursday's 50/50 raffle will benefit Operation Sisterhood at YWCA Northern New Jersey, which supports women veterans throughout the state.

View the full Military Appreciation Night details

WHO’S HOT

Devils: Jack Hughes

Hughes recorded two goals and an assist in Tuesday's victory over Edmonton, raising his season totals to eight goals and 19 points in 15 games. He leads the Devils in points and is tied with Arseny Gritsyuk for the team lead in goals. Hughes has seven goals and seven assists over his last 10 games.

Blues: Jimmy Snuggerud

Snuggerud leads St. Louis with eight goals through 15 games, including five over his last 10 contests. The 22-year-old forward has 11 points (8g-3a) this season and scored a goal and added an assist in Saturday's 5-4 comeback victory over Detroit.

INJURIES

Devils:

• Seamus Casey: Knee, Injured Reserve

Blues:

• Colton Parayko: Upper body, day-to-day

• Tyler Tucker: Knee, Injured Reserve

• Logan Mailloux: Hand, Injured Reserve; conditioning assignment

• Dillon Dube: Neck, Injured Reserve

• Torey Krug: Ankle, Long-Term Injured Reserve

2025-26 REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS

• Nov. 26 vs. St. Louis: W, 3-2 OT

• Feb. 28 at St. Louis: W, 3-1

GAME NOTES

• The Devils are 7-2-0 at Prudential Center this season and have won their last five home games.

• New Jersey has a 10-1-0 record when scoring three or more goals this season. The Devils have scored at least three goals in each of their 10 victories.

• Nico Hischier enters Thursday with 498 career NHL points (206g-292a), two shy of becoming a 500-point scorer.

• Hischier had four points (2g-2a) in two games against St. Louis last season, scoring a goal in each meeting.

• Jack Hughes recorded his 34th career multi-goal game and 45th career three-point game Tuesday against Edmonton. Both totals rank third in franchise history.

• Jesper Bratt scored his 15th career shootout goal against Edmonton, moving past Brian Gionta and tying Ilya Kovalchuk for third-most in franchise history.

• Connor Brown has scored three goals over his last three games, one each at even strength, on the power play and shorthanded.

• Jesper Boqvist appeared in his 400th career NHL game Tuesday against Edmonton.

• Connor Hellebuyck became the fourth goaltender in franchise history to win each of his first three appearances with the Devils, joining John Vanbiesbrouck, Jonathan Bernier and Al Smith. Hellebuyck also has four career shutouts against St. Louis from his time with Winnipeg.

• Jake Allen spent parts of eight seasons with St. Louis, recording 148 wins for the Blues. He was also a member of the franchise's 2019 Stanley Cup championship team.

• Mason McTavish has scored three game-winning goals for St. Louis this season, accounting for half of his six goals.

• The Blues have a 3-4-0 road record entering Thursday's matchup.