MORNING SKATE RECAP
RALEIGH, N.C. - The Devils held a full morning skate on Tuesday at Lenovo Center ahead of facing the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2 of the First Round series.
The Devils lost Game 1, 4-1, on Sunday afternoon. But what’s worse, the Devils also lost a couple of key players for the team.
Defensemen Brenden Dillon, who left halfway throughout Game 1, and Luke Hughes, who left Game 1 but returned to finish the game, are both out of the lineup tonight for New Jersey per head coach Sheldon Keefe. Simon Nemec and Dennis Cholowski will both make their NHL postseason debut.
“The message remains the same in terms of our team’s ability and need to step up,” Keefe said. “The group needs to rise above it. We’ve been able to do it before and we expect the same.”
Meanwhile, center Cody Glass, who was also injured Game 1, will play and joined his team on the ice for the morning skate.
The Devils used the following workflow…
Palat – Hischier – Meier
Haula – Mercer – Bratt
Cotter – Glass – Noesen
Tatar – Dowling – Bastian
Pesce – Hamilton
Dumoulin – Kovacevic
Cholowski – Nemec
Markstrom starting in goal.
Glass Repair
Glass’ presence at morning skate was a welcomed signed after seeing him hobbled in Game 1 by some friendly fire. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom was attempting to clear his crease area of Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov. But as Markstrom went for a slash to Svechnikov, Glass skated in between and took the brunt of the blow.
“Being able to come out and have my mind at ease with everything that happened is good,” Glass said. “Obviously, 'Marky' felt really bad with what happened. But it’s hockey. Things happen quickly. So, it’s all good.
“Now that I’m OK, it is pretty funny.”
Debut
Nemec and Cholowski will be making their NHL playoff debuts in Game 2. Nemec had played well down the stretch of the final few regular-season games and is excited for his opportunity.
“I’m ready to step in. I’m so excited,” Nemec said. “I felt good in the last games that I played. I feel confident in my game now. I feel prepared for this.
“I’m nervous a little bit now, but it’ll be good.”
Split Up
The Devils split up captain Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt from the same line. The split helps with matchups, making sure the Hurricanes can’t key in on just a single line. It also helps to have a big power forward like Timo Meier and the physical Ondrej Palat on the ice with Hischier to alleviate some of the grind work.
“Timo playing the way that he was in Game 1, that can really help with Nico, and help with the matchup we have," Keefe said. "That’s really what it was for me, getting a bigger body with Nico.”
Need Everyone
With the injuries the team is facing, the Devils are looking for its top players to perform at a higher level. But they expect more from everyone.
“Your best guys have got to be your best guys,” Keefe said. “We need those guys to make a difference, but we need our entire team. This has to be a group thing. When we’ve played our best hockey, the group raises its game collectively to carry us through. That’s what you’re looking for. You need a team game.”
