MORNING SKATE RECAP<\/p>\n
NASHVILLE, TN – The Devils arrive in Nashville with confidence and a challenge waiting.<\/p>\n
After a strong stretch that has seen New Jersey go 4-1-0 in its last five games, the team continues its road trip tonight against a Predators group riding a five-game winning streak and pushing hard in the Western Conference playoff race, now in a spot.<\/p>\n
Head coach Sheldon Keefe expects a heavy test.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re a team that spends a lot of time in the offensive zone,\u201d Keefe said. \u201cThey really wear you down. They push out of their zone with lots of speed, they forecheck extremely well\u2026 one of the best teams in the league in sustaining pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the Devils, managing that pressure starts with execution.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a big part of the game for us to manage, break out well, slow down their forecheck, and get onto their half of the ice,\u201d Keefe said.<\/p>\n
LINEUP ADJUSTMENT<\/p>\n
New Jersey will have to do it without Arseny Gritsyuk, who did not skate after being injured last game in Dalals and is now considered week-to-week.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s not going to be available this week,\u201d Keefe said.<\/p>\n
The absence creates a ripple effect, particularly for a line that has found chemistry in recent weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe brings so much\u2026 when he gets a puck, he\u2019s going to skate it through the neutral zone and make a play,\u201d Keefe said.<\/p>\n
Cody Glass echoed that sentiment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s tough\u2026 especially losing a goal scorer in the bottom six,\u201d Glass said. \u201cBut it\u2019s an opportunity for someone else to step up.\u201d<\/p>\n
That opportunity will go to Evgenii Dadonov, who draws back into the lineup, while Lenni H\u00e4meenaho steps into a bigger role \u2014 including time on the second power play unit.<\/p>\n
Keefe sees it as a chance for continued growth.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a very smart player\u2026 positionally he\u2019s in the right spots,\u201d Keefe said of H\u00e4meenaho. \u201cWhen he gets the puck, he\u2019s going to make a good decision\u2026 and he has the ability to shoot it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lineup looks to be as follows:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Meier – Hischier – Mercer
Bratt – Hughes – Brown
Dadonov – Glass – Hameenaho
Cotter – Bjugstad – Tsyplakov<\/p>\n
Siegenthaler – Hamilton
Hughes – Kovacevic
Dillon – Nemec<\/p>\n
Markstrom was in the starter’s net and is expected to get the nod between the pipes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
BUILDING IDENTITY<\/p>\n
Even with the lineup change, the Devils feel their game will remain trending in the right direction.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019re playing better,\u201d Glass said. \u201cGuys are buying into roles\u2026 we have that swagger now. We\u2019re clicking at both ends.\u201d<\/p>\n
That confidence has shown up in results \u2014 and in how the team is playing.<\/p>\n
The Devils have leaned into a more connected, consistent approach, one that has allowed their depth to contribute while easing the burden on top players like Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it\u2019s not scoring, it\u2019s playing against top lines\u2026 taking a little bit of the load off,\u201d Glass said.<\/p>\n
RESPECT ACROSS THE ICE<\/p>\n
On the other side, Predators head coach Andrew Brunette has a unique perspective on Jack Hughes.<\/p>\n
Having previously coached him in New Jersey, Brunette has seen Hughes\u2019 development up close and he believes the Devils forward has taken another step.<\/p>\n
\u201cJack\u2019s great\u2026 I\u2019m really, really happy for him,\u201d Brunette said. \u201cScoring that big goal, I think that probably jumpstarted him into coming back and feeling really good about himself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brunette pointed to both the mental and physical side of Hughes\u2019 growth, especially after navigating injuries over the past couple of seasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s gone through some things this year\u2026 with his injuries the last couple years,\u201d Brunette said. \u201cI think that was probably the boost he needed.\u201d<\/p>\n
What stands out most, though, is Hughes\u2019 competitiveness and approach to the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s highly competitive. He\u2019s a gamer. He\u2019s not afraid,\u201d Brunette said.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a combination that has fueled his recent surge.<\/p>\n
Hughes enters the night on a six-game point streak, playing with confidence and driving offense for the Devils as they continue to push forward.<\/p>\n
For Brunette, it\u2019s no surprise to see.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a pleasure to coach,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re always happy to see guys you were a part of their growth\u2026 to see him score that kind of goal and the way he behaves himself day to day. He just loves hockey.\u201d<\/p>\n
That passion, paired with his skill and confidence, has him trending in the right direction \u2014 even if Brunette wouldn\u2019t mind seeing a quieter night.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he\u2019s on a little bit of a high from that big goal,\u201d Brunette said. \u201cHopefully he slows down a little bit tonight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MORNING SKATE RECAP NASHVILLE, TN – The Devils arrive in Nashville with confidence and a challenge waiting. After…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":522702,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5119],"tags":[5,2409,231,5281,4,2410],"class_list":{"0":"post-524658","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nashville-predators","8":"tag-hockey","9":"tag-nashville","10":"tag-nashville-predators","11":"tag-nashvillepredators","12":"tag-nhl","13":"tag-predators"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116298036473488414","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/524658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=524658"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/524658\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/522702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=524658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=524658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=524658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}