Day 3 of Camp | NOTEBOOK

The Devils will hold their third day of practice of training camp, and it's the final session before Sunday's preseason opener against the NY Rangers at Prudential Center at 1 p.m. ET.

Group 1 will hit the ice at 10 a.m. while Group 2 will practice at 12:30 p.m.

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

Group 1 Practice

The Devils reworked their groupings and had a majority of their NHL roster on the ice for the 10 a.m. practice, and that included the return of goalie Jacob Markstrom, who missed the previous two camp days due to the birth of his second child.

Workflow is below from Amanda Stein...

The Devils did their first work on special teams. The club used the following power-play units:

PP1: Hamilton, Hischier, Hughes, Bratt and Mercer/Meier (the two swapped)
PP2: Nemec, Meier, Palat, Brown and Dadonov

Group 2 Practice

The second practice group is on the ice. This should be close to what the Devils ice tomorrow for the opening preseason game against the Rangers.

"It's a very close representation on what it will be tomorrow," head coach Sheldon Keefe said.

This group used the following power-play setups:

PP1: Casey, Gritsyuk, Glass, Cotter, Bordeleau
PP2: Cholowski, Addison, Halonen, Crookshank, Hardman

Big Daddy

Jacob Markstrom missed the opening two days of training camp as he and wife, Amanda, welcomed the birth of their second son, Cruz.

“We’re happy. Exciting times,” Markstrom said. “It’s surreal. A family of four now. My wife is a trooper and real tough. Kudos to her. And the hospital did a great job.”

Now that little Cruz is born, Markstrom was back on the ice for Day 3 of camp. And he’s ready to get to work this season after a life-changing moment.

“It’s nice to be back out there and put the gear on,” Markstrom said. “There’ve been a lot of emotions and a lot of feelings, but it’s all happy.”

Markstrom returned with his usual confidence and swagger. When asked what the Devils need to do to take their game to the next level, he responded:

“Winning every game. Score more goals than the other team every game, and the goalie stop all the pucks.”

Big Daddy 2

Evgenii Dadonov is attending his first training camp as a member of the New Jersey Devils. And his opening assignment has been to play the wing with the club’s top forward pair of Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt.

“They’re great players. It’s nice to be around them,” Dadonov said. “Lots of positives.”

Keefe liked what he saw Dadonov so far on that line and likes what he can bring to the club.

"He's been a solid complimentary player in the league for a number of years," Keefe said. "Playing with two guys like Jack and Bratt, they're two guys that are puck dominant. They have it a lot. Dadonov has the ability when the puck comes to him to make a play. When you watch all his goals, he has a real knack of scoring in and around the net."

He Said It:

Dawson Mercer on his personal goals this season: “Creating more, faster, more dominant of a player. Every time you step on the ice you want to be a difference-maker. I’m trying to grow my game. It’ll be my fifth year now this season. I’m looking for a big step. It’ll be great if every player gets a little bit better, we’ll be a more successful team at the end of the day.”

He Said It 2:

Keefe on roster makeup in preseason: “There’s a balance. You want to showcase different guys and give them a huge opportunity. But also, you need to get your NHL guys ready. That’s what this really is all about and along the way we hope that some others can solidify some spots and make it obvious that they belong.”