MORNING SKATE RECAP
NEWARK, NJ - The Devils held an optional morning skate at Prudential Center ahead of hosting the Calgary Flames. Twelve players took part.
Forwards Ondrej Palat, Tomas Tatar, Paul Cotter, Erik Haula, Jesper Bratt, Cody Glass, Daniel Sprong, Justin Dowling and Kurtis MacDermid, defensemen Simon Nemec and Dennis Cholowski and goalie Jake Allen.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe already confirmed that goalie Jacob Markstrom will start against his former team. Markstrom was a Flame for the previous four seasons.
Forwards Palat, Tatar and Curtis Lazar missed Wednesday’s practice. Though Palat, who only skated for a few laps, and Tatar worked the optional today, their availability for this evening’s game is still unknown.
Keefe also alluded to the fact that the team may make some lineup changes based on other aspects, aside from injuries.
“Still uncertain,” Keefe said of the status on the three. “There will be some game-time decisions tonight.
“Everybody is game-time, all 20.”
Scouting the Flames
Calgary is fighting for its playoff life. The Flames are two points and two spots out of the playoff hunt currently.
“They’re in a similar situation. Every game matters a lot,” Bratt said. “They’re a tight team. They clog things up. You really have to be careful and simplify things when you play against a team like that. If you go into their trap too much it’ll be a long night and it’s going to be hard to create scoring chances.”
The Flames are currently amidst a four-game road swing. In their previous contest, Tuesday at NY Rangers, Calgary surrendered the game’s opening goal just 73 seconds into the game. But then they didn’t give up another goal in a 2-1 win.
“I thought they played well against the Rangers,” Bratt said, “played good defensively, they made it hard for the Rangers to create scoring chances and opportunities from the neutral zone.”
“They’re hard working. I feel like they give up very limited chances,” Glass said. “They have a lot of skill over there too. It’s going to be a good game. They’re in a playoff hunt, going for that Wild Card spot. It’s going to be a battle They have a very gritty, hardworking team that’s really good in the D zone. So, it’s going to be a good test for us.”
Meet the Moment
Keefe has been using the phrase “meet the moment” in regard to his team. He was asked to clarify that meaning.
“We’re in a fight to make the playoffs,” he said. “Every game is important. Every shift is important. Our effort, our enthusiasm, urgency, details, all that stuff has to meet that challenge and that moment. That’s what we’ve been talking about for the last while is making sure we don’t approach these games like another regular-season game. All these games down the stretch, it’s different. There’s more at stake here right now. We have to recognize that.”
The players also recognize the moment they are in.
“It’s a really exciting time for us to be playing right now,” Bratt said. “There are a lot of stakes in each and every game. Every game is extremely important. It’s a really great time to be playing right now.”
--Sam Kasan
