Devils Road Trip Shifts to Tampa Bay | PREVIEW

NEW JERSEY DEVILS (0-1-0) at TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (0-1-0)

The Devils continue their three-game road trip in Florida against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Benchmark International Arena.

Read below for your game preview presented by Diversified Rack and Shelving and check back for the pre-game story.

MORNING SKATE RECAP

TAMPA, FL - The Devils held a morning skate in Tampa Bay at Benchmark International Arena. Forward Evgenii Dadonov, who suffered an injury in the club’s season opener in Carolina on Thursday, was not on the ice.

“The X-rays were negative, but he woke up and wasn’t feeling much better,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said of Dadonov. “They had further imaging which did show there was a fracture in there. The extent of it, they need to look a little bit closer.

“He’ll be out for the rest of this road trip and we’ll get him back home and get a better sense of what the timeline will be.”

The club used the following workflow…

Lineup Flush Out

With Dadonov out, the Devils elevated forward Ondrej Palat to the top line with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. Rookie Arseny Gritsyuk will slot in Palat’s position with Cody Glass and Connor Brown while Zack MacEwen will enter the fourth line and make his Devils’ debut.

“He’s a versatile guy that can go up and down the lineup,” Keefe said of Palat. “When we were playing our best last year Palat was playing with Jack and Bratt. Not only allowed that line really click with the things that Palat can do off the puck to help those guys get their game going and spend more time in the offensive zone, but also the way it impacts the other lines. It locks things in. That was the effect it had for us last year.

“With MacEwen coming into the lineup as a right shot, you want to put him where we have him. Then you make the decision between Gritsyuk and (Paul) Cotter (for the third line elevation). I think Cotter compliments MacEwen and Glendening a little bit better with Gritsyuk a little more skill with Glass and Brown. We want to see how that can go.”

Homecoming

Devils forward Luke Glendening will be facing some former teammates tonight in Tampa Bay. The veteran forward played for the Lightning the past two season, appearing in 158 games while posting 14 goals and 18 points.

“It’s a great organization top to bottom,” Glendening said. “I have some great friends over there. They have a lot of skills, similar to New Jersey.”

But what made the trip most special was getting to see his family. While Glendening has been in New Jersey working in training camp on a PTO (player tryout contract), his family remained in Tampa Bay until there was further clarity on his future.

Upon his arrival in Tampa, he was looking forward to surprising his daughter. It went relatively well.

“It’s a good reminder of what’s important in life,” Glendening said. “I thought I was being sneaky and was going to surprise my daughter. I woke her up and she just looked at me and went (deadpan) ‘hi dad.’ So, after a month she wasn’t that impressed, but it was great for me.”

Debut of the Mac

Devils forward Zack MacEwen will be making his Devils debut tonight. He began the fall in training camp with the Ottawa Senators, was acquired by the Devils and immediately assigned to Utica of the American Hockey League and then was recalled to Jersey on roster deadline day just days later. Now, he finds himself in the lineup.

“It was a whirlwind few days. I didn’t expect to be traded but it’s great,” MacEwen said. “I’m excited to join this organization. Excited to play tonight and see what I can do. I’m excited to be here and get it going.”

MacEwen, 29, is a big, physical force on the ice at 6-foot-4, 226 pounds. And he expects to put that on display this evening.

“I’m just going to try to play as fast as I can, play physical, create space for my teammates out there,” MacEwen said. “Play a good, solid game. First game, I’m going to be hyped up and ready to go. I’m just excited to play.”

Scouting the Bolts

Keefe on the Lightning: “They’re just really efficient in all areas of the game. Defensively, they have tight gaps. They have lots of great skaters on forward and defense that track you well, take away time and space. Offensively, they’re really connected between their forwards and their D. They have a high skillset all throughout the lineup.”

THE SCOOP

The Devils finished last season third in the Metropolitan Division and tonight's opponent, the Tampa Bay Lightning, finished second in the Atlantic. Both teams dropped their season openers: Devils 6-3 against the Carolina Hurricanes and the Lightning who fell 5-4 in their season and home opener. Both games were on Thursday night.

Last season, Nikita Kucherov had 121 points to lead the Bolts in scoring while Brayden Point had 42 goals to pace his teammates in that category.

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. Tampa Bay had the best preseason record in the NHL at 6-1-0 for 12 points.

WHO’S HOT

Devils: Luke Hughes and Jesper Bratt each had two-point performances in their first games of the season. Dougie Hamilton and Cody Glass each scored as well.

Lightning: Kucherov picked up where he left off last season with a pair of goals. Point also had a goal and two assists for three points while defenseman Victor Hedman had a pair of helpers.

INJURIES

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

Lightning: Girgensons (undisclosed) is on IR; Huuhtanen (undisclosed) is on IR; Paul (undisclosed) is on IR.

REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS

• Oct. 22 vs. Lightning, 8-5 L
• Nov. 17 at Lightning, 4-0 L
• Jan. 11 vs. Lightning, 3-2 W (OT)