Devils Practice Ahead of Final Season Stretch | NOTEBOOK

The Devils are practicing Thursday afternoon at the RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House inside Prudential Center.

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

Practice Info

Full attendance for the Devils Thursday practice. Looks like some changes coming on the lines.

After practice, defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler skated at one end of the ice in warmups, while Dougie Hamilton worked the other end in full gear.

"Today was just seeing how things are responding," Keefe said of Siegenthaler. "It's very preliminary at this point. But positive. He seems to be improving. But he's a long way out."

Round 1 Rematch

The Devils will open the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes, with the Canes most likely holding home-ice advantage. It’s a rematch of the 2023 Second Round matchup between two teams that are very familiar with each other.

“It will be challenging. We know they’re a hard team to play against,” captain Nico Hischier said. “They don’t give you much time. We have to be ready and up for the challenge. We have to be skating. They’re a well skating team. It’ll be a fast game out there. They don’t give you much room. We just have to be ready for that.”

“They’re really good 1-on-1. All over the ice are 1-on-1 battles when you play a team like that,” forward Jesper Bratt said. “They’re hard on you. They’re tight on you. You have to make them turn. You have to play with a lot of speed. You have to be confident with the puck. You have to win your battles. If you’re weak in the battles, you’ll be playing in your own zone a lot. This is something that we’ll talk about. I think we all know what kind of test we’re up for.”

Though the two teams have seemed on a collision course to meet in the first round since December, now that it is official, it does give the Devils coaches a chance to start up on some scouting and strategy.

“We’ve had an eye toward this for quite some time,” Keefe said. “This is a team we haven’t played in a while. We were diligent about our notes and the things we wanted to keep on file and keep top of mind from the last time we played them.

“It allows us to get some work in early. You never want to get too far ahead of yourself as a coach.”

Final Four

Before the Devils lock up with the Hurricanes in the postseason, the team still has four regular-season contests left on the slate.

“It’s nice we know who we’re playing (in the playoffs). We still have four games left and want to focus on that first and making sure we feel good about ourselves,” Hischier said. “I know it’s not easy to make the playoffs. It’s the first step that we wanted to achieve. I think we earned it throughout the year. Now it’s about building our game and getting ready for Game 1.”

The Devils clinched the postseason thanks to a loss by the New York Rangers on Wednesday night. New Jersey had a chance to clinch on its own Tuesday, but suffered a 7-2 loss to Boston. A performance like that is something the Devils want to avoid in the final four regular-season game.

“We all know how the last game went,” Bratt said. “We know that we have better than that. We have four games to build great momentum, build a good feeling in this room, put in good, competitive, well-structured games in the playoffs. These four games, is to see how we carry ourselves and raise our bar.”

The coaches will be balancing preparing for Carolina while also getting the team ready for the final four games.

"We'll get ready for Pittsburgh tomorrow and do our work behind the scenes on Carolina," Keefe said.

He Said It:

Bratt on Keefe never missing the playoffs as head coach in the NHL: “He’s been great with us since Day 1. He set the goals from Day 1, structure-wise, competitive-wise. He has so much knowledge about the game. He brought so much structure and detail into our game that he made us a better team and better as individuals.”

Leadership

If you haven't had a chance yet, make sure you take some time out of your day to read Amanda Stein's piece on Nico Hischier's leadership in the room and on the ice.

Hischier has often been described as a ‘quiet leader.’ While this may be true, it also gives his voice immense weight. He leads by example in how he approaches each day and each game, expecting the same from his teammates. However, when something needs to be said, he speaks up, and his teammates pay attention.

“You know that Nico brings it every day and if you want to be a part of it you’ve got to follow it," Bratt said. "When a player like that, who always shows what needs to be done, then maybe realizes the group isn’t following and then he steps up and says something, I mean, he’s so respected in the group that we all listen and we all know that when Nico stands up to say something it’s usually that it’s gone maybe a little too far and he hasn’t gotten guys to follow his lead. I think that’s pretty unique.”

Full story here.

Masterton Nominee

Devils forward Jesper Bratt has been named the New Jersey Devils nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy. The selection was made by the New Jersey chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PWHA).

The award is given to the player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the game.” There is one player nominated for each of the 32 teams, with the winner selected through a PHWA poll at the end of the regular season.

Full story here.

Greatest Games in Devils History

Stan Fischler weighs in with another one of his lists. While the top 3 may be obvious, after that is a real crap shoot.

Having covered the club since its inception more than four decades ago, I'm challenged upon asking myself which really was the greatest Devils game of all-time, and which ones after that and after that?

As a hockey historian, I love the challenge and - by the way – if you disagree with my findings, please write, knowing that I respect your opinions. (Fasten seatbelts, here we go).

Full story here.