On Sept. 21, the New Jersey Devils hosted the New York Rangers for their first preseason game of the 2025-26 season. The first period ended with a 1-1 score, but the Rangers took control of the second period, scoring four more goals to the Devils’ one. The Devils scored one goal in the third, but it was not enough to catch up, and the Rangers won 5-3.
Many Devils fans have been anticipating the debut of Arseni Gritsyuk in New Jersey colors. The Devils prospect was drafted 129th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft. He has since been playing overseas in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in Russia. He has played for two different KHL teams in the past five seasons, but the rookie has finally made his way to the States to play for the Devils.
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Gritsyuk recorded his first NHL point in the second period. Paul Cotter knocked the puck loose from Brennan Othmann inside of the Rangers’ offensive zone. Gritsyuk was nearby to pick up the loose puck and skated with Cotter into the Devils’ offensive zone. Finally, it was Cotter who took the shot and scored, but Gritsyuk still picked up the only assist on the goal.
With two minutes left in the third period, the Devils were still down by three and doing everything in their power to make a comeback. Brian Halonen took a shot, which was blocked, but it went straight to Gritsyuk. He passed the puck to Dennis Cholowski, who, in turn, sent it back to Gritsyuk. With a shot, he scored his first NHL goal and brought the Devils within two goals. However, it was not enough to give them the win.
Gritsyuk came into his first NHL game and made an impact from the beginning. He played like an NHL-caliber player with his speed and puck control. He recorded the second-most minutes within the forward group with 18:28. Although it is too soon to say based on just one game, Gritsyuk looks poised and ready for the NHL full-time.
Allen Started Strong, Daws Struggled
Training camp and preseason are perfect opportunities for younger, inexperienced goalies to get their first look at NHL ice time. It is also a chance for veteran goaltenders to shake off some of the rust. This was the case for the Devils in their first game; Jake Allen played the first period, and Nico Daws subbed in for the last two.
Allen faced ten shots and made nine saves, only allowing one goal in the net. This also earned him a save percentage (SV%) of .900. He is the backup for Jacob Markstrom, the Devils’ starting goaltender, so to see him perform like this right out of the gate is a good sign.
Nico Daws, New Jersey Devils (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
In two periods, Daws faced three more shots than Allen, but he also made the same number of saves. Earning a SV% of .692, it appeared he was more rusty than Allen after allowing four goals in the second period. With two minutes left, the Devils even pulled him from the net in an attempt to tie it before the buzzer.
It’s not fair to base a player’s performance around their first preseason game, but Daws did not appear to be NHL-ready. This season, Markstrom will still be the starting goaltender while Allen is the backup, so Daws will obviously be playing in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Utica Comets once more. We have seen potential from him last season in the NHL; however, there is no denying he struggled a little in this game.
Devils Excelled at Special Teams
The Devils had five penalties in this game, including a five-minute major for fighting. Despite their opportunities to score on the extra-man advantage, all five of the Rangers’ goals were scored at even strength. The Devils did a good job of helping to defend the crease while they were down a man.
On top of this, two of the three goals scored by New Jersey were on a power play. The Rangers had eight penalties, so there was plenty of time for the Devils to capitalize on their extra-man advantage. Luckily, they were able to do it twice; Gritsyuk’s goal, as well as Brian Halonen’s goal in the first period, were scored on a power play.Â
We have seen in the past how special teams can make or break games. If New Jersey can make the most of their special teams this early in the season, they will set themselves up for success later. Playing on both the penalty kill and the power play are great skills for these veteran and rookie players to practice, and they have already shown great promise in this game alone.
Devils Can Try Again on Tuesday
The Devils will play their second preseason game on Tuesday, Sept. 23, when they host the New York Islanders at 7:00 PM EDT.
