Practice Before Preseason Finale | NOTEBOOK

The Devils are practicing Friday afternoon prior to playing their final preseason game on the slate in Philadelphia on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET.

Stay tuned to the notebook for the latest info, updates, interviews, videos and more from the practice session!

House Cleaning

Devils coach Sheldon Keefe met with the media following practice and had a few updates on the team:

• Luke Hughes will not play in the preseason finale in Philadelphia
• Seamus Casey won't be on skates in the near future
• Brett Pesce is continuing to be evaluated. He will skate later today, but his availability for the regular-season opener next Thursday in Carolina is unknown
• Stefan Noesen is close to participating in a full practice, but is not close yet to playing
• Juho Lammikko will be unavailable to the team in the near future

Keefe on Hughes: "Physically he feels good. Today was a very hard practice, a very competitive and physical practice for him. I think the right thing is to slow play it with him. Give him another opportunity to practice with the guys who won't play tomorrow. Get a day off Sunday and then ramp it back up after that. It's been a positive couple days for him. It's probably a little rushed to get him in a game tomorrow so he won't play."

Keefe on Casey: "He's had something nagging him throughout camp and preseason. Quite frankly there was probably a portion of the camp that he wasn't being up front about what he's dealing with in an effort to show well, which is admirable, but at the same time we're at the point in the season, it's a long season, we had to shut him down and give him an opportunity to heal and be feeling good about it and not something that will hinder him throughout the season. The exact time we're not quite sure on that. It won't be in the near future."

Group 2 Practice

Defensemen Brett Pesce and Seamus Casey were both absent from both practice groups today. Pesce missed the third period of Thursday night's 3-1 win at MSG against the Rangers while Casey has been dealing with a lingering issue all training camp.

Group 1 Practice

Forward Stefan Noesen practiced in a full-contact jersey. Below was the group work...

He Said It:

Shane Lachance on carpooling with Lenni Hameenaho: "We don't talk about much in the car, it's a lot of hockey stuff. Or early morning drives where nothing much is said. I listen to country and he said he doesn't mind it. I drove (Topias) Vilen here the other day and he listens to Finnish rap music. I said 'I'm sorry but I can't put that on.' (Hameenaho) seems to enjoy the country. He hasn't said anything about it yet."

He Said It 2:

Brian Halonen on using the final preseason game to make an impression: "Play good as a team and personally try to play my game, play hard and try to make a good last impression."

Of course, the biggest news story from Thursday was the arrival of defenseman Luke Hughes to camp following a two-week hold out. Hughes signed a new 7-year contract with the team and joined his teammates for the first time on the ice.

“It feels great, really excited to be back,” Hughes said from his normal stall. “I’m happy that I’m in New Jersey for the next seven years.

“I love New Jersey. My brother (Jack) loves New Jersey. It’s a second home. We love what the organization is doing and where we’re going. All in all, just really excited and really happy to be here.”

Despite not taking part in the opening two weeks of training camp and missing practices and preseason games due to the contract impasse, Hughes feels ready to step right in. That’s thanks in part to the work he’s done in Michigan while the contract situation sorted itself out.

“My body feels great, I feel really strong,” Hughes said. “I have to acclimate myself to the team and to playing real hockey. I don’t think it should be long.

“I’ve been bagging myself a lot back home, skating five days a week. I feel really good and it’s just good to be back out there with the team and it’s good to be back to work.”

Full story here.

Bratt Focused and Grounded

Amanda Stein wrote an awesome article on Jesper Bratt, entering his 9th season in the NHL.

Almost everyone who played on this Devils team last season is talking about the next step. Too often has there been disappointment, with first and second-round exits, or no playoffs at all. To Bratt, and to the rest, that's no longer acceptable.

"Every year my expectations are high," Bratt said. "I think we learned a lot from last year. We all have some fire in the tank about just really how last season went. I think we took a step last year, but we’re far from where we want to be."

To get there, it's a two-fold process. The individual and the collective. Both will inevitably fuel the other.

"For me, my focus has always been, how can I take steps every day, and how can I try to do everything that I can do in terms of preparation to make myself the best individual the next day?," he remarked. "And I think that if everyone on the team just to have that goal that, 'Okay, today I'm gonna get better. Today I'm going to find a way to help the team to get better. Today I'm going to be on my A game.' I think that is usually what then helps the team. We all come together."

Full story here.