LAS VEGAS -- Cody Eakin visited T-Mobile Arena for the first time Sept. 16. He went to see the boxing match between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin, so there was no ice, no boards, no glass, different lighting.

Now that the 16-day, 109-game preseason schedule has begun, it's time to take a closer look at the players, teams and stories that are making headlines in the weeks leading up to the start of the regular season on Oct. 4.

Here are five things we learned from the preseason games Monday:

SUMMERSIDE, Prince Edward Island -- The New Jersey Devils' youth brigade put on a show during an 8-1 win against the Ottawa Senators at the 2017 Kraft Hockeyville preseason game at Credit Union Place on Monday.

Pavel Zacha, a first-round pick (No. 6) in the 2015 NHL Draft, had two goals in the first period. Nico Hischier, the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, had a goal (his third in as many games) and an assist. John Quenneville, a first-round pick (No. 30) in the 2014 NHL Draft, had two power-play goals in 29 seconds during the second period. The Devils scored the game's first seven goals.

TORONTO -- Center Jonathan Drouin is day to day with an upper-body injury and did not play for the Montreal Canadiens in a 5-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs at Ricoh Coliseum on Monday.

"It's a muscular thing and it was more out of precaution for tonight than anything else," coach Claude Julien said. "He was scheduled to play, he was fine this morning, and then just after practice we chose to take the safe route and do that. So, it's day to day, muscular, upper body."

The Montreal Canadiens are looking to Jonathan Drouin to provide a spark they hope will lead to more timely offense.

The cost of acquiring the 22-year-old forward in a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning on June 15 was Montreal's top prospect, defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, who was the No. 9 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft. 

But the opportunity to add one of the most talented young Quebec-born players in the NHL proved irresistible to general manager Marc Bergevin. The Canadiens have won one Stanley Cup Playoff series since 2014, when they reached the Eastern Conference Final.

The Nashville Predators want to build on the momentum from last season and put themselves in position to return to the Stanley Cup Final. 

One major area of emphasis during the regular season will be consistency after they had to scramble to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs as the second wild card from the Western Conference in 2016-17.

The New Jersey Devils have gone through a transformation with the goal of ending their five-season Stanley Cup Playoff drought.

After finishing last in the Eastern Conference with 70 points (28-40-14), the Devils selected center Nico Hischier with the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, acquired versatile forward Marcus Johansson in a trade with the Washington Capitals, added free agent forwards Brian Boyle and Drew Stafford, and signed defenseman prospect Will Butcher, the winner of the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in NCAA Division I men's hockey in 2016-17.

Auston Matthews had a hat trick, and the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Montreal Canadiens 5-1 at Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto on Monday.

NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Five Questions With …" will run every Tuesday throughout the 2017-18 season. We talk to key figures in the game and ask them questions to gain insight into their lives, careers and the latest news.

The latest edition features New York Rangers defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk:

NEW YORK - New York Rangers forward Andrew Desjardins has been suspended for two preseason games for an illegal check to the head of New Jersey Devils forward Miles Wood during NHL Preseason Game No. 55 in New Jersey on Saturday, Sept. 23, the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety announced today.

One-stop shop for a comprehensive list of all 2017 NHL free agents and signings, including stories and analysis.

NOTE: Some of these players may have recently signed with their respective club; however, their contracts had not yet been filed with the League.

Now that's a cool honor.

As the offseason winds down, NHL Network is getting you ready for this season by ranking the top 50 players in the League. NHL Network researchers, producers and on-air personalities compiled the list, continuing with players 11-20. Here is their list.