NEWARK, NJ -The Devils held their morning skate at Prudential Center his morning before boarding a flight to Montreal for their opening preseason contest against the Canadiens.
The Devils ran the following workflow at the morning skate.
Tatar - Hischier - Bratt
Johnsson - Boqvist - Zetterlund
Foote - Thompson - Clarke
Laberge - Talvitie - Halonen
Graves - Severson
Okhotiuk - Bahl
Vilen - Walsh
Blackwood
Daws
Meanwhile, in Montreal the units were as follows…
Caufield - Beck - Hoffman
Pitlick - Dach - Slafkovsky
Harvey-Pinard - Mesar - Richard
Pezzetta - Mysak - Roy
Matheson - Barron
Guhle - Harris
Fairbrother - Norlinder
Allen
Primeau
The Devils used the following power-play units…
Severson, Bratt, Hischier, Tatar, Zetterlund
Walsh, Boqvist, Johnsson, Foote, Clarke
The Devils will divide the game between their two goaltenders, though they haven't decided just yet what that split will look like.
"Both goalies are going to get time," head coach Lindy Ruff said. "Probably 30-30 or Mackenize goes two periods and we give the other goalie a period."
Lot to Show
Forward Tomas Tatar will open the game on a line with captain Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt. It's a chance for the 31-year-old veteran to stake a claim on a line with two of the more dynamic talents on the Devils roster.
"Both players are very good hockey players. They were great last season," Tatar said. "We want to try and build some chemistry. We're looking forward to it."
Tatar is looking find a place where he fits in the lineup. With the additions of Ondrej Palat and youngsters like Alexander Holtz and Fabian Zetterlund in the mix, there is a lot more competition for roster positioning.
"We're all here. We want to play our best. We want to play the most minutes," Tatar said. "You have to battle and earn your spot. It's going to be a competitive camp. That's what we're here for at. At the end of the camp it's up to the coach and what he decides."
Among those younger players fighting for a spot and wanting to show they belong in the NHL is Nolan Foote. The 6-foot-3, 196-pound forward added strength and worked on his skating this summer to make that leap from the American Hockey League.
"I had a really good off-season," said Foote, who added weight. "You want to get out there against a different opponent. It's fun playing on the road in the preseason. You just have to show what you can do. Show the improvements you've made, and show how badly you want it."
