Hey, Devils Fans – Lots to unpack heading into tonight's game, so let's get right into it.
ONDREJ PALAT
Pally is a consummate pro. Brought in as a free agent because of his winning pedigree and his proven track record of performing in the playoffs, his presence was much needed inside this locker room. The Devils’ young core guys had never won, and they needed to be around someone like Pally. He performed extremely well for the Devils in the playoffs, too. In his first playoff series for the Devils, back in 2023 vs. NYR, he finished with 3-4–7 PTS in 12 GP, including the GWG in Game 5 and his infamous primary assist on the game winner in Game 7. The Devils would ultimately lose in the second round against Carolina in that run, miss the playoffs again the following year, and lose to Carolina again last season — this time, in the 1st round — and he had two assists in that five-game series.
Unfortunately, the deep playoff success for the Devils did not materialize in his time here, and after 31 PTS two seasons ago, followed by 15 Goals last season (his most as a Devil), Pally was unable to produce enough offense in a top-six role this season to warrant his $6M cap hit. This forced Fitzy into a position where he had to make a tough business decision as a salary cap team looking to add scoring up front. “Dollars in, Dollars out.”
All other factors aside (which I discuss in the video below), this Pally trade was a good move from a business perspective by GM Tom Fitzgerald. He frees up $3.75M of cap space to potentially make another move — and/or be cap compliant in the event that Noesen returns at some point after the break — and gets a cheaper, higher-upside forward back in return without giving up any significant draft capital or retaining salary.
MAXIM TSYPLAKOV
In a season where you are desperate for another low-risk, high-reward home run addition to the bottom six (like Arseny and Lenni have been so far), I really like the fact that Maxim Tsyplakov is coming over to the Devils in this trade. This is a guy that scored 31 goals in the KHL just two seasons ago, and though he wasn’t producing much with the Islanders this season, he showed he belongs in the NHL as a rookie last season (10-25–35 PTS in 77 GP).
I think a change of scenery will go a long way for both players in this trade, and we already saw a glimpse of that with Pally’s goal and assist in his NYI debut last night.
NEED A MENTAL & EMOTIONAL RESPONSE
The WPG game was not good enough for many reasons, but the most disappointing one to me was the fact the Devils weren’t able to overcome the mental and emotional letdown moments that occurred throughout the night.
Watching the Pally trade unfold before the game, and then Glasser’s injury in the second period, I was hoping Rachel and I would be talking in the postgame about the Devils’ mental fortitude to push through and get the W on Johnny Mac’s special night. But that was obviously not the case, as they instead conceded a goal on an ugly line change just 1:33 into the game, conceded a goal just seconds after Glasser’s injury, and ultimately couldn’t find a way to tie the game late.
As a former player, these are the moments I talk about when you are being tested mentally, that you need to take a lot of pride in your resilience as a group. As a team with playoff expectations, you need to show that you will find a way to get points on nights where you don’t have your “A” game.
So, if you’re the Devils, who didn’t get the job done in a situation like this on Tuesday, you should be extremely dialed in for a major mental and emotional response tonight after an off-day yesterday to compartmentalize everything.
HAVE TO WANT IT MORE AT 5v5
Just like the WPG game, tonight is another battle of two teams who are living and dying by their special teams right now and letting points slip away because of dreadful 5v5 play. And while I love the fact that the Devils won the tough special teams battle vs. WPG, they once again weren’t nearly good enough at 5v5 to win the game.
All three phases — 5v5, Special Teams, and Goaltending — need to immediately get in sync, and it has to start tonight and carry all the way through to the Olympic break. If not, the Devils are going to find themselves on a hill too steep to climb after the break.
Join Rachel and me for tonight’s pregame show as we break down the Pally trade, the mental breakdowns from the WPG game, Jack returning to vintage form, and the PP success. It all starts at 6:30 p.m. on MSGSN; LGD!
-Sal
