PRE-GAME STORY
NEWARK, NJ - The Devils step onto the ice this afternoon to open their preseason schedule against the rival New York Rangers, with head coach Sheldon Keefe eager to get his first game behind the bench this season.
“It’s nice waking up knowing it’s a game day and you’re going to be back behind the bench,” Keefe said. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Competition and Opportunity
The Devils’ roster leans heavily on players battling for jobs, something Keefe sees as central to the day.
“A lot of the guys we have lined up today are competing for spots,” he said. “We’ll give them an opportunity to go out and do exactly that — compete. It’s the first pre-season game, so we try not to make too many judgments this early in camp, but these couple of weeks are going to go by quick. We’ll have to make decisions, and this is a chance for us to see what they have.”
Keefe emphasized that effort and structure matter more than the boxscore in September. “The wins or losses don’t necessarily matter,” he explained. “It’s the things away from the puck — effort, speed, competitiveness, and showing you can take the structure we’ve been talking about and implement it in the game.”
Spotlight on Debuts
Among the players drawing attention is Gritsyuk, making his first appearance in a Devils sweater. Keefe said he’ll be used in offensive situations to highlight his strengths.
“He’s an offensive player. So in a game like this, you want him confident, making plays, being himself offensively,” Keefe said. “At the same time, it’s all the little things — energy, speed, comprehension of our system. Each player has an identity of who they are. Go out and be that.”
The Devils will also continue monitoring prospects Lachance and Hameenaho. While both have remained on skates, Keefe said there’s no clear timeline for their return.
Between the Pipes
Jake Allen will start in goal and play the opening period before Nico Daws takes over for the final two frames. Across the ice, the Rangers counter with Jonathan Quick and Dylan Garand.
Expected Lineups
Devils
Forwards: Cotter – Glass – Gritsyuk; MacDermid – Lammikko – Legare; Crookshank – Glendening – Halonen; Hardman – Rooney – Bordeleau
Defense: Cholowski – Addison; Edwards – Strand; White – Osipov
Goalies: Allen, Daws
Rangers
Forwards: Sheary – Parssinen – Perreault; Othmann – Dowling – Raddysh; Blidh – Laba – Brodzinski; Aspinall – Robroeck – Rempe
Defense: Vaakanainen – Borgen; Pouliot – Fitzgerald; Mackey – Morrow
Goalies: Quick, Garand
