Devils Practice on Deadline Day | NOTEBOOK

The Devils are practicing at RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House inside the Prudential Center on the same day of the NHL's annual trading deadline at 3 p.m. ET. 

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

Pesce Out

Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe said that defenseman Brett Pesce (lower-body injury) will be out for the team's weekend matchups against the New York Rangers (Saturday) and Detroit Red Wings (Sunday). 

“He didn’t skate today and is not going to be available this weekend,” Keefe said.

Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald said Pesce will be "week to week."

Practice Info

Pesce (lower-body) was the only player absent from the team's practice. They also were without forwards Evgenii Dadonov, Maxim Tsyplakov and Luke Glendening as the three were placed on waivers yesterday.

Deadline Practice

At 3 p.m. ET the NHL’s trading deadline hits. That can make for an awkward practice day for players, especially those who have heard their names thrown around in the media as possibly being on the move.

While that is a lot of noise to deal with, the coaches handled the day like any other day while being cognizant of its significance.

“In lots of ways it’s business as usual,” Keefe said. “It’s a distracting day, whether you feel you’re involved in it or not, there’s a lot going on. So, just be mindful of that. Went out, got a good workout in, got a good skate. We’re also preparing for another back-to-back, so we weren’t going to be out there long regardless. We move along. Three o’clock will come and go and we’ll be ready for the Rangers tomorrow.”

Systems

The Devils have won three straight games. And more importantly, they’ve looked like a dominating force in those three games. They controlled vast majority of the play. They’ve generated a lot of high-end scoring chances. They’ve tilted the ice heavily in their favor.

They’ve looked like, well, what they’re supposed to look like.

“I spent a lot of time over the Olympic break looking at our game and we’re we can get better,” Keefe said. “Never at any time was I concerned about our system or how we play or my philosophy.”

Keefe also spent his time looking back to his days coaching the Toronto Maple Leafs to see if the system and philosophy still held up.

“I looked at my four full seasons in Toronto. Offensively we finished – in terms of expected goals and scoring chances – fourth, third, second and second,” he said. “So, I know that the structure and how we want to play is there, but it wasn’t happening with greater enough frequency. That’s on me to put our guys in better situations and cue them to up the frequence of those opportunities where we have more speed on the rush and more numbers on the rush. That’s been a big focus of ours.”

Keefe also watched film on the top offensive teams in the league. And what he noticed was that the film didn’t look much different from his own club.

“The clips look the same,” he said. “They look the way we want it to look, but the frequency hasn’t been there nearly enough. That’s what we’ve been pushing for.”

Designated Driver

Devils forward Jesper Bratt is riding a three-game point streak. In that stretch he’s picked up an assist in each of the last three contests for three total helpers. And he’s also done so with a few new linemates.

Bratt has worked with Lenni Hameenaho and Cody Glass. Bratt is a player that can drive offense and carry a line. The Devils coaching staff decided that it needed more play drivers on each line. So, Bratt gets the opportunity to be “the guy” on his triumvirate.

“It gave me an opportunity to have the puck a lot,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been a part of driving the line together with them. I feel that gives me some momentum during the games.

“For me it’s that pure attack instinct. I want to be the guy to attack every shift, use my skating and be a threat every time I’m on the ice. That’s something I try to stack up to try and create energy for the team.”

Bratt also scored a crucial shootout goal to help the Devils defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-3, on Wednesday night. While he’s racking up points, Bratt also wants to be a player that can put the puck in the net – during game play and not just the shootout. It’s the last piece of the puzzle for him.

“There have been a lot of games this year where I feel my overall game has been really good,” he said. “It’s just been those last few percentage (points) to put the puck in the net.”

He Said It

Keefe on pairing Luke Hughes with Nemec at times: “Especially when trailing, offensive zone face offs, offensive zone situations, you try to put your guys in those spots. They can connect with the forwards a little bit better offensively. That’s something we’re mindful of, talking about. We just have to be aware because both players need to develop their defensive game. If you have them paired together, we’re exposed a bit that way. We don’t see it as a full-time thing at this stage. But when we need a goal or in a favorable offensive situation, it makes sense.”