Hughes, Pesce in For Opener | MORNING SKATE

NEW JERSEY DEVILS (0-0-0) at CAROLINA HURRICANES (0-0-0)

New Jersey opens the season in the same location where the last one ended, Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina as they take on the Carolina Hurricanes.

You can watch on ESPN+ and Hulu or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.

Read below for your game preview presented by Cuttler Produce and check back for the pre-game story.

MORNING SKATE RECAP

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Devils wrapped their morning skate at Lenovo Center in Carolina ahead of facing the Hurricanes in the season opener. Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce will both be in the lineup for the Devils. Hughes missed all of the team's preseason games due to a contract impasse. Pesce missed the last week of training camp with an undisclosed injury.

Lucky Luke

Despite only getting in one week in for training camp and seeing no preseason games, defenseman Luke Hughes will jump right into the lineup.

“Short camp. It’s not ideal,” Keefe said. “Is he as ready as you’d like him to be or as ready as his teammates? Probably not. His skating and his pace are so natural to him, you’d like to think that’ll come into place pretty quickly. We’ll work with him and see how it goes.

“There’s no better opportunity for him to adjust, adapt and get his game going than to get right in and play. We’ve given him ample time in practices and he’s gotten better every time out.”

New Beginnings

It’s a new season, and a new start for the Devils. The club will ice seven players who didn’t face the Canes last year in the playoffs, both due to injuries or because they’re new to the team.

“Some of the pieces that we’ve added have improved our depth and we’re healthy for the most part,” Keefe said. “That’s the biggest improvement, coming in here with essentially a full team.”

“We’re definitely a deeper team (this year),” Hischier said. “We have guys in here that have gone far, played a lot of games and know how to win. I think that can help us this year.”

Defenseman Brenden Dillon was with the club last season. This will be his second year as a Devil and is ready for a new chapter.

“We’re looking forward to writing our own story,” Dillon said. “We’ve got a lot of returning guys but some new pieces that are really going to help us, inject some energy, a new look, a new vibe, new experiences to our group.

“We’ve got a three-game road trip to start this season off. We just want to continue to build. We want to take a step from last year.”

Facing Canes

It’s go time for the Devils. After a month of work and training camp, the real season starts tonight.

“It’s nice,” Keefe said. “You come through a long camp where you work on different things, implement different things, so you get fired up to play for real in a full building in an NHL game. To take on a rival like this, it’s exciting.”

“It’s a great game to start,” captain Nico Hischier said. “Coming in here, we know them really well. Let’s get going here and feel good about ourselves.”

And the Devils also know what’s expected from the other side when the puck drops.

“They do it better than most teams and more consistently throughout a game,” Keefe said. “They can stay on you. You have to find your way through that and apply your own pressure. There’s no surprises. They know exactly who they are.”

THE SCOOP

The Devils finished last season third in the Metropolitan Division and tonight's opponent, the Carolina Hurricanes, finished second. The 'Canes won the first-round playoff matchup four games to one and advanced to the Eastern Conference Final before falling to the Florida Panthers.

Last season, Seth Jarvis led the Hurricanes in scoring with 32 goals while Sebastian Aho paced the club in points with 74.

For the Devils, Nico Hischier had 35 goals to lead them in that category and Jesper Bratt had 88 points. In an injury-shortened campaign, Jack Hughes had 27 goals and 70 points in 62 games -- a 36-goal and 93-point pace.

In the preseason, the Devils finished third in the Metro Division with a record of 3-2-2. Carolina was tied for last in the Metro at 1-3-2 in their six exhibition games.

WHO’S HOT

Devils: Arseny Gritsyuk was the Devils' leading scorer in the preseason. He has two goals and three assists for five points in six games. He also fired 15 shots on goal. His often linemate, Paul Cotter, also had a good showing with three gaols and four points in five games. Simon Nemec and Jack Hughes each had four assists.

Hurricanes: Despite the 'Canes only winning one of their six preseason games, goaltender Frederik Andersen had a good showing. In two games, he had a 1.50 goals-against average and .929 save percentage. Among roster players, rookie defenseman Alexander Nikishin did well with three points in his four games. Jesperi Kotkaniemi had two goals in his two games.

INJURIES

Devils: Kovacevic (knee), month-to-month; Noesen (groin), day-to-day; Casey (lower body), undisclosed; Pesce (undisclosed), day-to-day; McLaughlin (undisclosed), Lammikko (undisclosed).

Hurricanes: Slavin (undisclosed), day-to-day; Miller (undisclosed), day-to-day.

REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS

• Oct. 15 at Hurricanes, 4-2 L
• Nov. 21 vs. Hurricanes, 4-2 W
• Dec. 27 vs. Hurricanes, 4-2 W
• Dec. 28 at Hurricanes, 5-2 L

PLAYOFF RESULTS

Game 1: Devils at Hurricanes, Lost 1-4
Game 2: Devils at Hurricanes, Lost 1-3
Game 3: Hurricanes at Devils, Won 3-2 (2OT)
Game 4: Hurricanes at Devils, Lost 2-5
Game 5: Devils at Hurricanes, Lost 4-5 (2OT)