BLOG: Wood Gaining Top-Line Experience

In the Devils first practice back from their five-game road trip, there was a new face on the top line. Miles Wood joined Nico Hischier and Kyle Palmieri, as New Jersey looks to spark their 5-on-5 play.

"There will be some movement. But if you look at our last few games, we've had problems with scoring on 5-on-5 game," said Devils Interim Head Coach Alain Nasreddine. "We're looking at maybe making a few tweaks here and there."

One of the tweaks the Devils Interim Head Coach tried out was moving Wood from the second line to the top line, filling the left wing spot.

When asked about this opportunity, Wood said he's excited about his opportunity to play with two strong players.

"It's a great chance for me to play with them. They're great players," said Miles Wood. "I've played with Palmieri before so I kind of know what his game is all about. But I think it's a great chance for me to play my game still, and more importantly get them the puck and help them out as much as possible."

Video: RAW | Miles Wood

Wood plans on being a playmaker for Palmieri and Hischier and bringing his game to this new role.

"Overall, just be hard-nosed out there, power forward," said Wood. "Get the pucks on the forecheck to them, and just get to the net front."

When Nasreddine was asked what he would like to see out of Miles in that top line spot, he stressed the importance of Wood staying true to his game.

"We want him to keep playing north-south hockey, be heavy on the forecheck, getting those pucks back for Hischier and Palmieri," said Nasreddine. "We feel that with his piece that's something he does very well. He's competitive so we just want to make sure he doesn't try to do too much in that spot."