Devils Practice Before Finishing 'Road Trip' | NOTEBOOK

The Devils are practicing in Newark at the Prudential Center at the RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House. The club faces the New York Rangers Thursday night at Madison Square Garden to finish off six straight road games. The Devils played a five-game road trip out of the tri-state area before returning home Tuesday.

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

Practice Details

All the expected players were present for practice. The Devils completed a long West coast trip, which included a long day of travel Tuesday back home.

"When you come back from the West I’ve found it always feels like an extension of the road trip when you first get back," Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said. "In our case, playing a road game (Thursday at MSG), it’s easy to stay in that mindset. With that, we looked at yesterday as a travel day. I got home after 7 o’clock last night, so it’s a long day yesterday. Get in, get a little bit of work in today to stay in the groove."

The Devils used the following workflow...

Marked

Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom was named the NHL’s Third Star for the month of December after going 8-1-1 with a 1.30 goals-against average and .937 save percentage. And he’s started off January in a similar fashion.

Markstrom was the biggest reason for New Jersey’s 3-2 victory in Seattle Monday night. While on paper, he made 21 saves. But three of those saves alone were of the highlight reel variety.

“It’s a lot of desperation,” he said of some of those saves. “You have your base and foundation that you trust. Then when it comes down to it, at the end of the day, it doesn’t always have to look good. It’s just about keeping the puck out of the net by any means necessary.”

Markstrom’s determination to keep the puck out by any means necessary has been displayed a lot over the current season. He ranks third in the NHL with a 2.17 goals-against average and tied for third with three shutouts.

“The competitive drive is what’s keeping the puck out for him right now,” Keefe said. “There are times where we’ve really exposed him and asked a lot of him, but the refuses to let the puck go in. That’s second, third, fourth efforts to get something on it.”

Markstrom gave a lot of credit for his success to his teammates, whether it’s from them blocking shots, keeping shots low or just being solid defensively. And after that, he’s simply tries to do his part.

“I just try to stay relaxed throughout. Every game is so different,” he said. “You can’t really expect what’s coming, which is the fun part about playing goalie. You face different situations and different players all the time, different shooters. I try to stay as calm as possible, and you want to be there when the team cracks a bit.”

"That’s the hallmark of his career. Big, athletic, competitive and do anything he can to keep it out," Keefe said. "Certainly, he helped us get two points the other night."

Dowling's Opportunity

Devils forward Justin Dowling was inserted into the team’s lineup in place of the injury Erik Haula (ankle). He took Haula’s spot, centering Paul Cotter and Dawson Mercer, Monday night in the 3-2 victory at Seattle.

The line produced two goals, one each from Cotter and Mercer. And while Dowling didn’t pick up a point, he was certainly a factor in the offense.

“They’re two offensive players and offensive minded,” Dowling said of his linemates. “I’m just trying to bring a little bit of stability to the line and fill in what Haulsy’s been doing for them.

“Being good defensively, trying to get pucks back and create space for them. Cotts can create his own space, he’s so strong on the puck. And Dawson is a dog out there. It’s trying to compliment them and do things that are going to help them elevate their game.”

Dowling, 34, is trying to make the most of his opportunity. He’s already played 26 games for the Devils this season, three shy of his career-high 29 with Dallas in 2019-20. And part of his success is his ability to fill a variety of roles for the team.

“Every time I’ve been in the NHL, whether it was with Dallas or Vancouver, I’ve been that Swiss Army knife,” Dowling said, “bouncing around the lineup and playing different roles. In the past I’ve done it.

“It’s the mindset of not changing the identity of the player they want you to be here. I really take pride in my D zone and being a stable asset to the team.”

He Said It:

Keefe on playing the Rangers Thursday: "These rivalry games or divisional games have brought out the best in us throughout the season. I would expect nothing else, and probably a good thing coming off such a long trip."

Siegenthaler Dreams for Thai Kids to 'Dream Big'

The Devils announced that the club will host Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Night on Jan. 14 at Prudential Center against the Florida Panthers. Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler is from Asian decent, being half Thai. he hosted a summer hockey camp last June in Thailand. Below is an excerpt from a feature story on that camp.

Jonas Siegenthaler sat inside the locker room of a rink in Chiang Mai last summer during his inaugural hockey camp in Thailand when a young girl approached him.

The Thai youth, roughly 6 years old, looked at Siegenthaler and said, “Hey, coach Jonas. One day I want to play in the NHL as well.”

And that moment was exactly why Siegenthaler, who is the first NHL player of Thai decent, had decided to conduct a hockey school in a country where hockey is starting to take root.

“It was such a beautiful moment. That moment was probably one of the most beautiful moments at that camp,” recalled Siegenthaler, who is the first NHL player to host a camp in Thailand. “The interest there is growing every year. It’s a small hockey community. It’s a hard sport for Thai people to play because financially you have to be very stable. A lot of people in Thailand don’t have that money, which makes it harder to get more kids into hockey.

“My goal is just to be there, show them what hockey is, to grow the game and be there for them.”

Click here for full story.

Casey Named AHL All-Star

The American Hockey League announced it's rosters for the 2025 All-Star Classic, to be held in San Jose on Feb. 4 and 5.

Devils defensive prospect Seamus Casey was named to the roster, among just 13 AHL rookies.

Since joining the Comets after making his NHL debut with the Devils this year, Casey has scored two goals and added 12 assists with Utica. He ranks sixth in points among AHL rookie defensemen and ranks 4th in points for Utica behind three forwards: Adam Beckman (19pts-23gp), Brian Halonen (18pts-28gp) and Nolan Foote (16pts-24gp).

Check out the story here!