Hey, everyone!
It should be a fun one tonight in LA, as both teams are desperate for a win. Marky and the Devils need to stop the bleeding on this road trip, and the Kings are one of two teams (NYR) that are still looking for their first win at home. And yes, hopefully, I make it to ANA alive if my Blue Jays win Game 7 tonight... 🐦🇨🇦
SLOW STARTS
The Devils need to start on time tonight. They are not getting to their identity quick enough, so they can't keep spotting teams on this road trip with at least 3 goals before they are able to get their game going. As we've seen in these past couple of games, they are digging themselves too big a hole to climb out of, regardless of how dominant they are in the 2nd period.
And look, bigger picture, only three leads after the first period through their first 11 GP is simply not a rate that is conducive to winning consistently... And you can’t fall behind tonight when you are facing a structured, defensive-minded team like the LAK. Start on time!
LOSING ANOTHER KEY PIECE OF THE PK
With Connor Brown officially ruled out tonight, the Devils’ PK is now without two of the top 12 PK goal suppressors (with 20+ min TOI) in Pesce (T-#1) and Brownie (#12; #5 among FWs).
As we've all seen with Pesh out of the lineup, it is impossible to replace the amount of quality minutes and pucks that players like Pesce and Brown eat up for you on the PK, and so that next-man-up mentality has to grow even stronger now with two of them out. Entering tonight, Brown was second to Nico in SH TOI among NJD FWs, and tied for the most PK Blocks (5) & SHGs (1) of any NHL FW.
THE RENEWAL OF NOESEN NOVEMBER?!
It appears that with Downtown Brown out tonight, we will likely see Noesen get bumped up to the PB&J line. This could be the perfect opportunity for Noes to take his game to another level in November, just as he did last season. 👀
HAVE MERCY ON THEM (...NOT)
If there was one positive takeaway from SJS, it was that NJD#91, the DAWG, continued to build on the best offensive start of his career with his 2 PPGs. Entering tonight, NJD#91 is the only forward in the NHL with at least 11 PTS, 14 Blocked Shots, and 4 Drawn Penalties. 🐶🦴
JACK STAYS HOT 🔥
It was another day in the office for NJD#86, who extended his point streak to four games (3-3–6 PTS) with his primary apple on Mercer's first PPG. Jack is reaching a level that very few players in this league can ride shotgun with.
We all hear about dual & triple threats… #NJDevils Jack Hughes is a Quadruple Threat. 🏒🔥
— Bryce Salvador (@BryceSalvador24) November 1, 2025
- Transporter (End-to-End)
- Facilitator (Chances)
- Distributor (Passes)
- Finisher 🎯
My Quick Hits drop at 8:15 p.m. EDT! pic.twitter.com/QDH4rIPT4R
MARKY EXTENDS 2x$6M
In my last article, I talked about my confidence in the fact that Marky’s next start will be (and certainly needs to be) his best of the season. Well, now that his pockets are a little fuller, he should be wider around the waist - Nobody’s beating him between his body and both blocker and glove arms tonight!
But all joking aside, the Devils now have arguably the best tandem in the league (when healthy), all tied up at a cap hit of $7.8M, which projects to be middle of the pack next season. Now, all that’s on Marky’s mind is that he has 2 years to win - no distractions.
Tune into the pregame show tonight as we recap what went wrong for the Devils in SJS, discuss Marky's extension, and break down the importance of starting on time and keeping LAK winless at home. It all starts at 8:30 p.m. on MSGSN!
-Sal
Here is some additional content from Thursday night's broadcast!
