MORNING SKATE RECAP
NEWARK, NJ - It’s the first matchup between the New Jersey Devils and St. Louis Blues this season and the home team will have some line changes.
At morning skate, Paul Cotter moved up to Hischier’s line, Foote replaced Cotter on the third line, and Bowers stayed on the fourth line. The changes are due to forward Timo Meier’s one game suspension that he will serve tonight.
Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe discussed the flexibility that Paul Cotter brings to the lineup and his ability to contribute on every line.
“He’s very versatile,” Keefe explained. “He’s done the job for us whether we’ve moved him up at different times throughout the season for full games or shifts here and there at different times. He has a skill set that’s transferrable to any line. My message to him any time we’ve made such moves is to not change his game. I think the assets that he has in terms of his ability to bring the puck up the ice, forecheck, skate, and being physical, all those things are assets that any lines requires.”
Cotter will play with Nico Hischier and Stefan Noesen and he's looking forward to the opportunity.
“Playing with Hischier is pretty cool,” Cotter said about playing with the Devils Captain. “Great player, he’s been having a lot of success lately. Trying to contribute and play my game and it should be good.
“Playing with Noesen is going to be good, we’ve played with each other in the past,” Cotter also shared. “I just kind of know his tendencies so it’ll be nice to have a familiar face on the other side of that line … I’ve learned over the years to just try to keep my game consistent, don’t try to change anything based on who you’re playing with. The reason why I’m there is because of the things I do well so no reason to change anything."
100 Down
Devils defenseman Luke Hughes will play his 100th NHL game tonight against the Blues.
“(Happened) pretty fast,” Hughes shared about his upcoming milestone. “Games are important and 100 games is pretty special for me. It’s awesome and I’m excited.”
The 2021 Fourth-Overall pick has 10 goals and 43 assists for 53 points through his first 99 games. Known for his offensive contributions, Hughes has developed his game across the board and is seeing that growth this season.
“I think my game in general has changed,” Hughes said about his development. “I think I’m a completely different player. I think I’ve elevated in every aspect of my game. My defending, my stick, poking it off guys, my transition game, moving the puck quick, knowing when to go and when to stay back. And I think my o-zone game has really developed this year and I think it’s really starting to show.”
Through his first 15 games this season, Hughes has played with Brett Pesce, a veteran defenseman who signed with the Devils this off-season. In addition to learning from him, Hughes discussed playing with Pesce this season.
“I think his stick is so good at the blue line,” Hughes explained. “Helps out with our transition game so much. He’s a very easy guy to play with. We’re just getting to know each other. I think these last seven or eight games have been our best. We just have to keep going and keep getting better each day.”
Bringing Consistency
The Devils have gone on a 9-3-0 run in their last 12 games and are playing some of their most connected hockey. Devils players have explained the full buy-in to the systems and style laid out by Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe from day one. Another reason for the sucess is accountability in the locker room.
“I think we do a pretty good job in here of holding everyone accountable,” Cotter explained. “Everybody expects your best all the time. There’s not really any guys that are taking time off with shifts or taking opportunities to not go 100%. That extra push, that extra 50-50 battle win, it seems like we have it in our room versus who we’re playing. We just got to keep it going, that’s why we’ve been successful with so far.”
Although they're playing a lot of strong hockey, the Devils focus is continuing this play period-to-period and game-to-game.
“The results are nice but we’ve had a really tough stretch of hockey,” Hughes said. “Playing really good teams - Florida, Carolina, Washington, Nashville - all really hard teams to play against and just consistency in our game, trying to bring it every night is really important for us, and a key focus.”
Changes with the Opponent
As the Devils take on the Blues, there's a new man behind the bench for St. Louis. The Blues hired Jim Montgomery three days ago to help turn things around after a 9-12-1 start. Monday was Montgomery's first game in charge and his team delivered. St. Louis picked up a 5-2 win over the New York Rangers and were dominate with their performance. Montgomery is someone Keefe has faced plenty of times throughout his career and he described the type of teams produced by the Blues head coach.
“It’s a challenge,” Keefe explained. “He’s a great coach. Teams are well prepared, very structured. Even in the short amount of time that he’s had with them you can see just the boost that it’s given the group. I think in the NHL you can, certainly in the short term, make some real gains when you come in with getting the team’s attention. You look at their game and it was quite dominant the other night in New York. We expect a game here tonight. A team that’s coming in re-energized, and focused and some subtle structure tweaks.”
Mr. 500
The Devils will honor goaltender Jacob Markstrom with a pre-game ceremony after he played his 500th NHL game on Nov. 21. The off-season acquistion has been a key part of the Devils on and off the ice. Fans are encouraged to be in their seats early to take in the celebrations before puck drop!
