2024-25 Game Preview #1: New Jersey Devils vs. Buffalo Sabres in Prague

Let’s do it right this time.

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils vs. the Buffalo Sabres

The Location: O2 Arena, Prague, Czechia

The Time: 1:00 PM Eastern Time; 7:00 PM local time (GMT +2)

The Broadcast: TV: MSGSN, MSG-Buffalo, NHL Network; Audio: Devils Hockey Radio

Plenty to Prove

Coming off the disappointment of the 2023-24 season, the New Jersey Devils have the benefit of a fresh start today. Although they will be missing Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce to start the season, they have to get off to a better run than they did last year. For returning players, this season will serve as proof dictating their futures with the team. Another dud like last year might result in a massive overhaul, but none of that will come to pass as long as the team brings consistent efforts and high-energy play.

European Spotlight

With the Devils kicking off the NHL season in Prague, the team has been able to single out their European players in their media coverage. For some players, this is a chance for some of their family to see them play an NHL game in person. Amanda Stein reported as much for Simon Nemec, who hails from Slovakia. The Devils have also focused a lot on Ondrej Palat, who is the team’s only current Czech player.

The Beginning of Sheldon Keefe’s Reign and Facing Lindy Ruff

While the Devils did have Travis Green serve as coach for a short while last season, today is more of a passing the coaching baton than Lindy Ruff’s firing last season. Sheldon Keefe’s Devils will be molded, starting today, against the coach who saw them go from one of the worst teams in the league to one of the best teams in 2022-23, before falling off a cliff with the injuries and goaltender troubles last year. The question for Keefe is: will he be different?

The one thing we know about Ruff is that we can expect a high-speed offensive game, and he will not hesitate to use Ryan McLeod in a lot of situations tonight. As just about the fastest checking forward in the league, I would expect to see him against Jack Hughes at points tonight. The Sabres did lose a bit of offensive firepower with the buying out of Jeff Skinner, but they still have improving players in Jack Quinn, Dylan Cozens, and Tage Thompson, while Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Bowen Byram are still looking for the top of their game. In any case, Ruff still has an interesting mix of players to make a competitive team out of.

The Expected Lines

According to Amanda Stein, the Devils lined up like this yesterday.

This is essentially the best lineup the Devils could have chosen for Prague. Sheldon Keefe is putting a lot of faith in Seamus Casey to play the left side in his debut, but with the injuries on the defensive side, it made a lot of sense to take Casey to Prague. He should be able to run PP2 while hopefully meshing well with a second-year Simon Nemec. I am also excited for the Dillon-Hamilton pairing, as Dillon will draw a lot of physical attention away from Dougie.

Offensively, we will see how Jack Hughes fares with a surgically-mended shoulder, while Tomas Tatar and Dawson Mercer will work to prove they are still top six-capable players. Captain Nico Hischier can also set the tone for the season with a big night, on a big stage in Europe. The forwards just need to get a few goals on the board to put the game in Jacob Markstrom’s lap, as he looks to start his Devils career on the right foot.

Your Thoughts

What do you think of today’s game? Will you be watching? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.