Playoff Practice | NOTEBOOK

The Devils are practicing Friday afternoon at the RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House inside Prudential Center as they get set to take on the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of Round One of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

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

Practice Info

All expected players are on the ice for practice, including forward Ondrej Palat who suffered in an injury Tuesday night in Boston.

The Devils used the following workflow…

As far as Palat is concerned, it appears to be all systems go for Game 1 Sunday.

“I feel good. Good practice today with the group,” Palat said. “I’m happy.”

“He’s totally fine,” Keefe said. “He’s good.”

Defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler, out since Feb. 4, has been skating. But the club doesn't anticipate he'll be available to play in the opening round.

"It would be a surprise to me and our team (if he plays)," Keefe said. "They haven't told me he definitely won't play. But I haven't even asked becasue everything I was told was it would be well into May before he would be a possibility."

Know Thy Opponent

The book on Carolina is pretty simple. The club has played true to its identity since head coach Rod Brind’Amour took over seven years ago. They’re fast. They play aggressive on the forecheck. They hound you in the offensive zone. And they win a lot of their battles. The Devils have played Carolina enough to know what to expect.

“Our biggest challenge is to escape their 1-on-1 coverage, move our feet,” captain Nico Hischier said. “Don’t get stopped. They’re a good skating team as well. I do believe we’re a good skating team so it’ll be a high-speed game out there. We can’t get stuck in our coverage.”

Though Carolina’s identity is well known, the Devils coaches did have the luxury of knowing that the Hurricanes would likely be their Round One opponent for essentially a month. Thus, the group was able to begin their scouting and preparation early.

“We’ve had an eye toward them for a while,” Keefe said. “Since it’s been locked in, we’ve been able to communicate more with the players. We feel like we used our time wisely. It helps to have that time. The biggest challenge is not do too much and get away from what you need to do to have your team prepared.”

Forecheck

One area of the game that will be critical for the Devils is handling the 2-1-2 pressure of Carolina’s aggressive forecheck. The Hurricanes skate hard at the puck retriever in the offensive zone. And often their pressure forces turnovers and creates havoc.

However, if the Devils can break out quick and clean, they could trap the F1 and F2 players deep and create odd-man rushes. It’s a problem and an opportunity.

“Gotta be quick. They’re going to be on you fast,” said former Hurricane Brett Pesce. “We’re going to have to execute in tight areas and find a way to break through their forecheck.”

It'll be on the unit to communicate well, stay tight for easy outlets and then execute on those passes. Right read, right play, right execution.

“Move the puck quick. Know where your outs are. Use structure,” Hischier said. “That’ll be in our plan.”

Weathering the Storm

The Hurricanes are one of the best teams in the NHL at home. And their fans are a big reason for that. But the symbiotic relation has a lot to do with how well the Hurricanes start games. From the opening puck drop, Carolina comes at its opponents with an all-out effort. And in those opening minutes can build momentum for the entire game.

“When it goes to the first TV timeout, they’re outshooting their opponent pretty dramatically,” Keefe said of pre-scout. “And that’s against some of the best teams in the league. You have to go into it prepared for that and manage it. Over time you’re able to get some footing in the game and get yourself going.”

“Carolina is a hard building to play on the road,” Palat said. “They’re always buzzing the first five,10 minutes. We need to relax. Take a deep breath. Play a good structure and then go from there.”

The Devils lost both games they played in Carolina this season. And it’ll be a tough environment. But without home-ice advantage, the Devils will have to win at least one game in Carolina to ensure a series victory.

“It’s not easy to play there. They come out very hot,” Hischier said. “You expect that from every team in the playoffs. There are no easy games from now on. We know that. We have to be ready for it and excited for it.”

He Said It:

Nico Hischier on Keefe’s strategy: “He tells us a plan. We try to execute what the plan is, but I’m not going to share. We’re definitely going to have a plan going into it.”

He Said It 2:

Keefe on the playoffs: “You have to be ready for the motions of the game and the sires. It’s up and it’s down. It’s all over the place. It’s louder. It’s harder. It’s more competitive. But the emotional piece is the greatest difference in playoffs.”

He Said It 3:

Pesce on Carolina defenseman Jaccob Slavin: “What doesn’t he have? He’s an elite skater. Probably the best stick I’ve ever seen and he’s really smart. Take all three of those and you have Jaccob Slavin.

Round One Preview

The Devils will open the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs with a Round 1 match-up against the Carolina Hurricanes, the team that eliminated New Jersey in the Second Round of the 2023 postseason. These two teams have been lined up to open the playoffs against each other since Jan. 1 with the teams switching between the No. 2 and No. 3 spot. Carolina eventually pulled away with the second spot and earned home-ice advantage.

Click here for full breakdown of the series and what to expect.