Devils Practice Before Road Trip | NOTEBOOK

The Devils hit the ice for one final practice before heading off on a four-game road trip.

Devils head coach Lindy Ruff shared that the players who did not participate in practice, Tomas Nosek, Colin Miller, and Nico Hischier, will not be on the road trip.

Up first, the Devils will fly to Minnesota where they will take on the Wild Thursday night before traveling to St. Louis and playing the Blues Friday night. The trip also includes games against the Chicago Blackhawks and Colorado Avalanche before New Jersey returns home.

Wednesday's Workflow

The Devils skated the same lines and pairings as last game with Cal Foote rotating through with different defenseman. 

New Jersey's power play units were as follows:

J. Hughes, L. Hughes, Meier, Toffoli, Bratt

Palat, Hamilton, Holtz, Mercer, Haula

Hughes Named NHL's First Star for October

Devils forward Jack Hughes was named the NHL's First Star for October. He currently leads the NHL with 18 points through eight games played.

Read more about Hughes' Impactful first month of the season here!

Hitting the Road

As the Devils go on their first multi-game road trip of the year, it's an opportunity for everyone to bond away from New Jersey.

"I think it's going to be big for us," Jonas Siegenthaler explained. "We haven't been away for awhile. I think everybody's kind of pumped to go on that road trip, it builds chemistry, you're bonding and I think it's a trip we're looking forward to."

"I'm excited to just hand out with the guys," Luke Hughes shared about the upcoming trip. "Just getting away, spending it with just the guys should be fun."

Devils head coach Lindy Ruff agreed about the importance of bonding away from home.

"I think anytime you get on the road you get a chance to get together," Ruff shared. "You spend days in a hotel together. When you're playing four games in quick fashion, it's an opportunity to really get to know your teammates and get our game in the right place.

"Our road play last year was in a real good place and we hope to get it right back there," Ruff also shared.

New Jersey is 2-0-0 with their first road games of the season, picking up a 5-4 overtime win against the New York Islanders on Oct. 20, and a 5-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 24.

Passing the Time

How do some of the Devils players pass some of their downtime time on flights?

Siegenthaler: "I don't really do anythign special. I watch some TV shows or just be on the phone a little bit, listen to some music, talk to the guys."

L. Hughes: "Usually we're just talking about random stuff. There's a couple guys that play cards, couple guys that sleep. I sit besides Mercer, kind of just talk about nonsense. So nothing crazy."

Tierney: "Either listen to music or play cards."

Stadium Series

Wednesday morning, the NHL hosted a press conference for the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium. Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerald and EVP of Hockey Operations Martin Brodeur, were the team's representatives.

For full coverage of the event, including how to buy tickets, click here!

Tierney's Focus

Chris Tierney played in the Devils latest game against the Minnesota Wild, after Captain Nico Hischier was unavailable to play. For the veteran forward, he wants to continue to stay ready and be an impactful player whenever he's in the lineup.

"Just try to do whatever the team needs," Tierney shared. "Playing in the bottom-six you need to have minutes where you can spend time in their end and try to wear the other team out."

This upcoming road trip is an opportunity for Tierney to bond with the team even more, especially as one of the new faces in the locker room.

"It's the first time you really are with the guys 24/7," Tierney said after practice. "Especially for some of us new guys here, you can get to know guys better, you go for dinners, spend time away from the rink as well, so it's going to be a lot of fun."