Fansided

The New Jersey Devils put on a show in two different cities

By Vincent Parise |
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 25: Dougie Hamilton #7 and Timo Meier #28 of New Jersey Devils celebrate Meier's second period goal against the Philadelphia Flyers at a preseason game at the Prudential Center on September 25, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 25: Dougie Hamilton #7 and Timo Meier #28 of New Jersey Devils celebrate Meier's second period goal against the Philadelphia Flyers at a preseason game at the Prudential Center on September 25, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
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The New Jersey Devils were one of the best teams in the NHL last season. They had the third most points and won a first-round matchup against the New York Rangers. The team that defeated them the Carolina Hurricanes, was one of the two teams with more points than them.

Coming into this year, with a few new faces that could be considered upgrades, the Devils are looking to take another big step. It starts with a good training camp and preseason to get into the swing of things.

Training Camp has gone well for a lot of these players which is a good start. On Monday, things kicked off with the preseason as they played a split-squad set of games. They had a group go against the Montreal Canadiens in Montreal and a group go against the Philadelphia Flyers in Newark.

The Devils like to do this to start the preseason most years as it gives more of an opportunity for some of their younger players to get into a game before going back to their junior teams or other leagues around the world. This is how they were split up:

The New Jersey Devils are expected to be a great team in 2023-24.

Seeing some of these names separated just makes you that much more excited about this season. The home Devils squad is a little bit more stacked but the road squad isn’t lacking talent by any means.

There are a lot of good players that should help make this season incredibly exciting. They are coming into the year with the motivation that was sparked by the way last year went. They wasted no time getting to work as they put on a show in two cities.

(Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
(Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

@ Montreal

The New Jersey Devils defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 on the road.

The New Jersey Devils sent a good team to Montreal but it was clearly the slightly less talented squad going on the road. However, this roster was highlighted by names like Jack Hughes, Dawson Mercer, Tyler Toffoli, Simon Nemec, and Akira Schmid.

Jack Hughes was nothing short of sensational as he had a goal and an assist. His assist on Dawson Mercer’s (who was also really good in this game) goal was as pretty as you’ll see all year long. He is going to be the team’s offensive leader and is already looking like he is ready to go.

Simon Nemec got his name on the scoreboard as well as he scored a goal. It wasn’t a pretty goal as it went into the net off a dump-in. He may never score an easier goal again in his life but he’ll take it as he tries to be noticeable.

This was also the first time that Toffoli suited up in any type of game for the Devils. The leadership and experience that he will provide this year should be so fun to watch.

Schmid played the first two periods and was good. He made 16 saves on 18 shots which helped his team get the win. Keith Kinkaid played in the third and gave up no goals on seven shots. These guys are all going to return to Jersey feeling good about themselves.

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

vs Philadelphia

The New Jersey Devils took down the Philadelphia Flyers by a score of 6-0.

The New Jersey Devils team that played in Montreal did put on a show but was much more reliant on Jack Hughes. It was also a boring game if it is being compared to the one that the other squad played in Newark.

This team earned a big 6-0 win and it was pure domination. The Devils outshot them 34-21 in this one and played well from the moment that the puck dropped. In fact, they were winning 4-0 just a handful of minutes into the game.

There were also six unique goal scorers as Ondrej Palat, Erik Haula, Tyce Thompson, Alexander Holtz, Timo Meier, and Michael McLeod all scored. It was a great display of offensive depth in the first preseason game.

Nico Hischier created the Timo Meier goal and it showed just how good he is. Few people are going to stop him and his tenacity this season. Jesper Bratt also assisted on the goal and it was his third of three on the night. These guys are ready to go.

Seeing Erik Haula, Ondrej Palat, and Michael McLeod all get on the board is nice too because they need to bring a good bottom-six performance this season. However, Holtz and Thompson scoring a goal is awesome. In the case of Holtz, that is their number three prospect that they have a lot of faith in.

Thompson might never be his brother Tage but he can be a good NHL player if he keeps working on his craft. He has the tools to be a good NHL player. This is the time to get noticed and both young players did.

The Devils aren’t going to be playing against a preseason Flyers team all season long but playing like this against them is better than the alternative. It was a great night of hockey for the Devils as they get set for what promises to be a great year.

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