Hey, Devils fans!
I don’t know about you guys, but Thursday night’s win has me fired up, and I'm excited that we are right back to work for some Devils hockey at the Rock today! It’s an early 3:30 p.m. puck drop this afternoon, so let’s get right into it.
Now, I don’t want to jinx anything, but my hope going into the home opener was that the Devils would be able to knock off both FLA and EDM — the teams that went to the dance in each of the last two seasons — on this mini two-game homestand. Well, with a big CBW against FLA in the books, I am excited to see if the Devils can take care of business today against EDM. There would be no better way to start building a winning identity at home this season than by beating these two teams!
Vintage Jack Hughes was back on full display vs. FLA. In addition to his highlight-reel PPG to tie the game, Jack led all skaters with 8 shots, 5 slot shots, 7 controlled entries, 2 takeaways, and 1:19 of OZ Poss. Time. I’m not surprised in the slightest that we saw this type of performance and response from Jack after the turnover he had in Columbus (leading to Marchenko’s goal). I can’t wait to see how Jack will rise to the occasion once again today, seeing McDavid, Draisaitl, and the Oilers on the other side of the ice. Excluding 4 Nations, it’s been almost two calendar years since NJD#86 & EDM#97 have played in the same game!
Another player matchup I’ll have my eye on today is the “Battle of the Connors”… or should I say, the battle of the speed demons? Brownie (23.23 MPH) and his former stallmate, McDavid (24.61 MPH), are both top 10 in max skating speed this season, and also top 10 in 20-22 MPH speed bursts, with 7 and 10, respectively (per NHL Edge Stats).
Be sure to tune in at 3:00 p.m. for the pregame show today, as I will interview Brownie in warmups. (Maybe, he will have some inside insights on how to contain the other Connor?!)
Special teams, especially the PK, have been outstanding. The PK has now killed 13 in a row and is up to 94.1% (17/18) on the season, with the addition of a SH GWG by Bratter back in Tampa Bay.
I have to give some love to NJD#5, Dilly, as well, who has picked up right where he left off last season as the team’s #1 PKing D. This season, he has been eating up 4:19 of SH TOI/GP with the heavy volume of penalties being taken, which is #8 among NHL D w/ 3+ GP entering today. Workhorse!!!
After starting the season 0/6 in the first two games, the PP has found life with 3 PPGs in the last 2 GP. Make no mistake, though, the PP is definitely still finding its way, which Jack and Sheldon each came out and explicitly said in the postgame.
Hopefully, they can continue building on this today against EDM. It’ll also be interesting to see what happens in the near future with Noesen inching closer to a return, as I would anticipate that Sheldon & his staff are hoping to eventually inject NJD#11's elite NF presence back into the PP1 unit. 
I’m happy for Jake Allen that he got the W, and what made this win so important was that it immediately squashed any narrative of Marky’s absence being a concern for the Devils. Jake was lights out against Edmonton last season - I hope that carries over into today’s game, as he is expected to get a third-straight start. 
If you watched our broadcast on Thursday night, you may have heard me harping on two boxes the Devils have to check off this season: Improve 5v5 scoring, and establish a winning identity at home.
Well, I’m not going to lie, there’s a third item on my checklist that needs to be taken care of today. Yes, you guessed it - It’s the infamous “curse” of the Devils’ inability to win four games in a row, which has plagued them for over 1,000 days. (Last season, NJD lost all six opportunities they had to win four in a row, and were outscored 27-9 in those 6 GP).
Now, I love all the different storylines that have gone into the Devils' first three in a row here, as each of these games was won in equally impressive and important ways. And, as a result of these items below, this team has already set themselves up with an opportunity to put this silly narrative to bed with another huge W on home ice today. Let’s do it!!
Tune into our pregame show this afternoon, as I chat ice-side with former Oiler, Connor Brown! Then, Rachel and I will break down the Timo-Nico-Mercer line's early success before being joined by Alex Monaco to pre-scout the Oilers. It all starts at 3:00 p.m. on MSGSN!
-Sal
Here is some additional content from Thursday night's broadcast!
