GamePReview 10.18.22 Hughes

The Devils are searching for its first win of the 2022-23 season as New Jersey hosts the Anaheim Ducks at Prudential Center.
Game time is 7 p.m. ET and you can watch on MSG or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.
Below is the game preview, lineup information, videos, interviews and more.

YOUR GAME-DAY ESSENTIALS

GamePreview 10.18.22 Bratt

PRE-GAME STORY

NEWARK, NJ. - "The message is clear," said Devils captain Nico Hischier.
"We've got to come out here and win a game."
The Anaheim Ducks are in town coming off a 6-4 setback in Manhattan to the Rangers. Both teams are hungry for a momentum swing. New Jersey is winless through two games with pressure mounting to turn things around. Mentally, the roster is trying to stay resilient.
"Just look forward to the next game," said Hischier. "You can't get caught up. You've got to stay positive. It's a long season, so that's the way everybody has to think right now."
For the Devils, the benefit is they're coming off an off-day on Sunday and a practice day on Monday. Fresh legs should not be a problem for them against a team that played last night.
"Obviously, the start is important," said Devils forward Jesper Bratt. "We can set the tone right away from the start and get the pace up right away. We want to show ourselves early in the game, what we stand for."
"A good start is always important," said Head Coach Lindy Ruff. "And a good start comes a number of ways. You come out, you create pressure, you don't take a penalty, you play the game the right way."
DEFENSIVE FOCUS
Yesterday's practice was intense with a lot of the focus on defensive assignments and zone coverage. Hischier says the message remains simple.
"Be patient, be smart," he said. "That's the main thing. With smart, I mean sharp. Be sharp on your spots. Play smart and just don't need to win the game in the first 10 minutes. Be patient."
It's not just about breaking up the other team's chances defensively, but when they do get that initial stop it's about turning defense to offense in a decisive manner.
"All five guys on the ice want the puck," said Bratt. "And that's something that's pretty key. As soon as you get the puck in the zone, everyone gets open, everyone gets out of there and you create some offense from there. You take responsibility for what's going on in the zone."
The good news coming out of the Devils locker room is there has been a consistent message that a lot of the mistakes they've made are very correctable.
"I think a lot of this stuff was just our own mistakes," said Bratt. "They're all our own details that we're kind of missing. Obviously, there were a couple of sharp-shooting goals from the other teams, but I think most of the stuff was stuff we can address and I feel like overall, we've played some good hockey and we've had some good offensive chances. We've just got to be better at finding the back of the net and get some goals in."
CH-CH-CH-CHANGES
The Devils line rushes this morning indicate a shake-up with Alexander Holtz and Ondrej Palat flanking Hischier on the top line.
"I mean, he's a great player," said Hischier of Holtz. "He's obviously got a great shot. For me, I'll try to find him somehow and hopefully we get a couple tonight. It's definitely going to be fun."
Yegor Sharangovich re-joins Jack Hughes alongside Brat to fill out the top six.
"We're going to try and create as many scoring chances as we possibly can and be a driving force for the team," said Bratt.
Miles Wood, Erik Haula, and Dawson Mercer was the third line this morning, a grouping that looked solid together in training camp.
Palat-Hischier-Holtz
Sharangovich-Hughes-Bratt
Wood-Haula-Mercer
Tatar-McLeod-Bastian
Siegenthaler-Hamilton
Graves-Marino
Smith-Severson
Blackwood (was in starter's net)
Vanecek

PREVIEW

DEVILS (0-2-0) vs DUCKS (1-2-0)
TV: 7:00 p.m. ET; MSG
RADIO: 7:00 p.m. ET; Devils Hockey Network
Head-to-Head:
This is the first meeting of these teams during the 2022-23 season. Last year, each team won at home with Anaheim beating the Devils 4-0 on Nov. 11, 2021 in California, and the Devils winning 2-1 in a shootout on Mar. 12 in New Jersey.
Tuesday is the first of two games between the Devils and Ducks, with the second game in Anaheim on Jan 13, 2023.
Devils Team Scope:
New Jersey is looking for its first win of the year after losing the season and home openers, 5-2, to the Flyers and Red Wings respectively. The Devils have outshot its opponents in both games; however, only have four goals on 76 shots. As a result, the team is still looking for the best scoring combinations, and have experimented with different lines.
Jesper Bratt leads the Devils with three points, all assists, while four players are tied for the goals lead with one apiece.
Special teams are an area the team is focused on improving. New Jersey is still sorting out some of the power play units after missing Captain Nico Hischier in the first game. The Devils have killed off six of the seven penalties they have faced in those first two games and the 85.7% success rate has New Jersey's penalty kill ranked 11th in the league.
When it comes to goaltending, the Devils have Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek to make up the 1A, 1B tandem. Blackwood played in the team's season opener in Philadelphia, and the Devils turned to Vanecek for the home opener.
Ducks Team Scope:
The Ducks started their season with a 5-4 overtime victory against the Kraken before dropping its next two contests, 7-1 to the New York Islanders and 6-4 to the New York Rangers. Anaheim comes into Tuesday's game on the second half of a back-to-back.
Over the last three games, the Ducks have scored 10 goals while Anaheim's opponents have put up 17. Six of those goals against were during penalties. On the flip side, Anaheim has scored on only two of eight power play opportunities.
Troy Terry leads the Ducks in goals (3), assists (3), and points (6).
Injury Updates:
Devils:
Bernier (IR, hip)
Ducks:
Vaakanainen (IR, undisclosed)
Carrick (IR, Hip)
Silfverberg (Illness)