Final Practice Before Game 1 | NOTEBOOK

The Devils are practicing Saturday afternoon at RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House inside Prudential Center before flying to Carolina.

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

Practice Info

The Devils had their full compliment of players take part in practice. Looks like the same groupings from yesterday as well.

The Devils used the following power play units:
PP1: Hughes, Bratt, Meier, Mercer, Hischier
PP2: Hamilton, Palat, Glass, Sprong, Noesen

Handling the Pressure

Keefe said something very interesting in his assessment of the Hurricanes at today’s media avail. He essentially said he expects Carolina to control play for the majority of the game, but the Devils aren’t worried about that. New Jersey’s goal isn’t to control the game, but to handle Carolina’s push and find a way to win on the scoreboard.

“You have to go into the game expecting that they’re going to have a lot of control,” he said. “They control the game, for the most part, when they play but they don’t win all the games. We have to find a way to be one of those teams that manage their surges and their pressure but do our part to get enough goals to win the game.”

The Hurricanes led the NHL in offensive zone time and shots for/against margin at +554 (the next closest team was Florida at +441 and only seven teams were over +100).

“They spend more time in the offensive zone and the least amount of time in the defensive zone than anybody else in the league and it’s not even close. They’re in a league of their own in that regard,” Keefe said. “You’re not going to outshoot them. That’s not our focus. Our focus is to outscore them.”

Bottom-6

The Devils used a bottom-6 showing of:

Cotter – Glass – Sprong
Palat – Dowling – Bastian

If those lines hold, that means Tomas Tatar and Curtis Lazar will be scratched in Game 1 against Carolina. Keefe explained his reasoning behind the “fourth line” configuration.

“I’ve played Palat with Dowling a lot down the stretch, and with Tatar. I like that line,” Keefe said. “=Similar skillsets, skating, pressure on the puck, ability to make a play and be their own players independently on offense.

“We made a decision to start with Bastian (instead of Tatar) because I think his size and skating can be a factor for us in the series. Defensive utility, energy, that’s all going to be important.”

Another thing that the configuration does it allows for the Cotter-Glass-Sprong trio to unite.

“The trickle effect of keeping that Glass, Sprong, Cotter unit together,” Keefe said. “Making it all fit.”

As for that latter triumvirate, Keefe likes what the three bring to the table.

“I think their line has the ability to create some offense for us,” he said. “I think there are some players there, if they get the ability, can put it into the net. Guys that can hang onto the puck. That’s going to be important in this series. Also what comes with that. Managing the pressure and managing the defensive responsibilities in the playoffs and against an opponent like this that’s going to put us under a lot of pressure.”

With the Devils’ top two lines liking getting the toughest defensive matchups against Carolina, it could be the Glass line that gets the best offensive looks and ability to produce.

“Glass is great defensively. We have a pretty good mesh together,” Cotter said. “We know Sprong is going to shoot the puck. Just reading off of what’s going to happen. If you get Sprong in a spot where you know he’s going to shoot, you can figure out where to go for the rebound instead of looking for a pass. We do a pretty good job of reading off of each other.”

Playoff Neophytes

While the majority of the Devils lineup has ample playoff experience, they still have a few neophyte players.

Those that would make their NHL playoff debut include forwards Nolan Foote, Kurtis MacDermid and Paul Cotter, defensemen Seamus Casey, Dennis Cholowski, Simon Nemec and Johnathan Kovacevic and goalie Nico Daws.

While forward Cody Glass and blueliner Luke Hughes have each played three postseason games.

“I’m looking forward to it. I’m going to try to stay in the moment and enjoy myself,” Kovacevic said.

Hughes made his postseason debut in 2023, playing all three contests against Carolina in the Second Round.

“I just remember so much emotion, so intense. Every play matters,” Hughes said. “The playoffs are amplified. You’re getting everyone’s best. Everyone is playing 100 percent. It’s very hard to play in. it’s a privilege. It’s hard to get there. I think everyone is really fired up.”

He Said It

Kovacevic on handling Carolina’s forecheck: “Getting back quickly, sprinting back for pucks. They hound you pretty good. They’re a good forechecking team. If you don’t have a play, resort to a chip out or flick out, getting the puck back on their side of the red line and getting our pressure on them.”

For more on Carolina's forecheck against the Devils breakout click here.