The New Jersey Devils are back on the ice on Thursday, Oct. 16. After three games on the road, they finally play their home opener against the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers.
Related: Devils Recall Nico Daws From Utica, Place Zack MacEwen on IR
The Panthers’ season record is currently 3-1-0, while the Devils are sitting at 2-1-0. Both teams are coming off a win in their previous games. The question of who will come out victorious is yet to be seen.
Devils Storylines
The biggest thing that Devils fans need to worry about is all the injuries the team is already facing. Before the season began, they were down four strong players in both the forward group and the defense. In the Devils’ first game of the season, Evgenii Dadonov was sidelined with a fractured hand. In the game after, Zack MacEwen exited early. As of Oct. 15, we now know that he is also injured and will be out for “a considerable amount of time”. We do not know the extent of his injuries. Against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Jacob Markstrom was quick to exit the game, and it was just announced that he, too, will be out for a couple weeks. With seven Devils players injured, the start of the season has not been kind to them.
All eyes are on the rookie this game. Arseni Gritsyuk is set to play his first regular season game with the Devils. He has played all three games for the Devils thus far this season and has recorded three assists. He recorded two on Oct. 11 and one on Oct. 13. With three points in two games, fans should pay attention to Gritsyuk to see if he will score his first NHL goal in this game.
Gritsyuk is not the only player who is playing for the Devils for the first time. Connor Brown and Luke Glendening will get their first taste of playing at Prudential Center for New Jersey as well. Unfortunately, Dadonov and MacEwen won’t be able to play, but they will still be in the building and will take in the atmosphere. Brown scored two goals on Oct. 11 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Glendening has yet to record his first point with the team. Both will receive a warm welcome from the hometown crowd.
Team Stats
New Jersey Devils
Season Record: 2-1-0
Top Scorers:
- Jesper Bratt – 2 goals (G), 2 assists (A), 4 points (P)
- Luke Hughes – 0 G, 4 A, 4 P
- Timo Meier – 1 G, 2 A, 3 P
- Dawson Mercer – 1 G, 2 A, 3 P
- Nico Hischier – 1 G, 2 A, 3 P
Goalie Stats
- Jacob Markstrom – 2-1-0, 3.89 goals-against average (GAA), .845 save percentage (SV%)
- Jake Allen – 0-0-0, 1.50 GAA, .958 SV%
Florida Panthers
Season Record: 3-1-0
Top Scorers:
- Brad Marchand – 2 G, 2 A, 4 P
- Anton Lundell – 2 G, 2 A, 4 P
- Sam Reinhart – 1 G, 2 A, 3 P
- Evan Rodrigues – 1 G, 2 A, 3 P
- Mackie Samoskevich – 0 G, 3 A, 3 P
Projected Lineups
(Subject to change before puck drop)
As per The Hockey Writers projected lineup article.
New Jersey Devils
Ondrej Palat — Jack Hughes — Jesper Bratt
Timo Meier — Nico Hischier — Dawson Mercer
Arseni Gritsyuk — Cody Glass — Connor Brown
Paul Cotter — Luke Glendening — Brian Halonen
Luke Hughes — Brett Pesce
Jonas Siegenthaler — Dougie Hamilton
Brenden Dillon — Simon Nemec
Jake Allen
Nico Daws
Scratched: Juho Lammikko, Dennis Cholowski
Injured: Jacob Markstrom, Stefan Noesen, Marc McLaughlin, Seamus Casey, Evgenii Dadonov, Zack MacEwen, Johnathan Kovacevic
Florida Panthers
Mackie Samoskevich — Sam Bennett — Brad Marchand
Eetu Luostarinen — Anton Lundell — Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe — Evan Rodrigues — Jesper Boqvist
A.J. Greer — Luke Kunin — Jonah Gadjovich
Gustav Forsling — Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola — Seth Jones
Uvis Balanskis — Jeff Petry
Sergei Bobrovsky
Daniil Tarasov
Injured: Dmitry Kulikov, Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Tomas Nosek
Scratched: Noah Gregor, Donovan Sebrango, Cole Schwindt, Tobias Bjornfot
Next Up for the Devils
After their home opener, the Devils only have one more game at home before hitting the road again. On Saturday, Oct. 18, they will host the Edmonton Oilers. After that, they will play the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday, Oct. 21.
