MORNING SKATE RECAP
NEWARK, NJ - The Devils held a morning skate on Thursday prior to hosting Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers at Prudential Center.
The lineup appears to feature one change. Defenseman Simon Nemec will be back in action in place of Dennis Cholowski.
The Devils used the following workflow…
Meier – Hischier – Noesen
Palat – Mercer – Tatar
Haula – Glass – Bratt
Cotter – Lazar – Bastian
Hughes – Pesce
Dumoulin – Kovacevic
Dillon – Nemec
Jacob Markstrom worked the starter’s end of the ice.
Back In
Nemec, 21, has been a healthy scratch in the previous two games for the Devils. He last played March 7 against Winnipeg. In that game, Nemec was on the ice for three goals against in the third period.
“It’s always hard to sit and watch the guys play,” Nemec said. “I just want to be better than last game and show that I’m ready for this chance.”
“I think he’s played good hockey for us,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “He had one horrific period that we needed to rinse away, talk to him about. … I liked where his game was going it just fell out. He needs to find that consistency.”
Nemec has had an up-and-down season. He’s been back and forth between the NHL and with Utica of the American Hockey League. In the NHL, he’s found himself in and out of the lineup, never playing more than four games straight. Right now, he’s looking to find consistency in his game.
“Consistency is the biggest thing,” said the second-overall pick in 2022. “I think I had pretty good (training) camps before. Just a couple bad shifts and the game turns around. Consistency is the biggest thing and we’re working on that.”
Nemec was arguably the team’s most consistent defenseman in the stretch run of last season. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Slovakian blueliner is trying to fight through his current situation and reclaim his game.
“It’s part of the business, but it’s not easy. It’s part of hockey,” Nemec said. “I’m a pro. I’m trying to figure it out. This season helps because I’m a lot more mentally strong than I was last year.”
Facing the Oilers
The Devils are facing arguably the two most dangerous offensive player in the NHL in McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Both rank in the top four in the NHL in scoring with Draisaitl (second) having 97 points and McDavid, who has missed time with injury, having 82 (fourth).
“It’s a big challenge. The speed that they come at you with, there aren’t many guys in the world that can do that,” blueliner Johnathan Kovacevic said. “Every team has that challenge. It’s going to be a five-man effort. It’s not just the D men, but all five guys out there trying to slow them down.”
The Devils will need to be guarded even in the offensive zone with the way Edmonton can transition with speed. New Jersey will likely try to key in on the Oilers’ F3 and make sure at least one defenseman has a mark on him.
“We have to stay on top of their centers. They have a lot of strength up the middle of the ice, so stay on top of them,” Kovacevic said.
And another aspect of the game will be special teams. Edmonton has the fifth-best power play in the league with a 26.6-percent success rate.
“Stay out of the box. We know how good their power play is,” Kovacevic adviced. “That special teams battle is huge in every game but against a power play that good we have to try to play a disciplined game.”
