After tonight, the Devils only have one more preseason game that NHLers are expected to play in. It’s just about time, already, for these guys to lock in.
The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils vs. the Washington Capitals
The Time: 7:00 PM ET
The Broadcast: TV: NHL Network, Monument; Digital, Out of Market: ESPN+
Different Look
After playing a game in Montreal last night, we can be pretty certain that the Devils will have a different look tonight. None of the likely Devils top six forwards played last night, while the defense was a mix of players who are either trying to prove themselves (Topias Vilen, Seamus Casey), earn a spot on the roster (Santeri Hatakka), or angle for more minutes in the regular season (Jonas Siegenthaler, Simon Nemec, Johnathan Kovacevic). Unfortunately for the team, the one who best limited high-danger chances out of that group — Santeri Hatakka — left the game early with an injury. While I would assume most players on the ice last night in Montreal will get the game off tonight, Sheldon Keefe mentioned Simon Nemec by name as someone who will not play.
Non-health related, #NJDevils HC Sheldon Keefe says Simon Nemec will get the night off tomorrow.
— James Nichols (@JamesNicholsNHL) September 25, 2024
I would love to see a full top six tonight, alongside Dougie Hamilton and Brenden Dillon leading the defense. Additionally, if Friday will be the last time for the NHLers to get into a preseason game before their departure for Prague, I imagine that Jacob Markstrom may play a full game tonight, which would allow Jake Allen to go the distance on Friday. I am mostly concerned about the skaters getting their chemistry going, though, as Sheldon Keefe should see how his top players play with each other before they go off to Europe to start the season.
On the prospect side of things, I would really like to see Josh Filmon, Cam Squires, and Chase Stillman get some run on the wings in the bottom six. Getting one of them going would be a boon for the Devils. On the not-quite-a-prospect-anymore side, I am interested to see if Shane Bowers gets in again tonight, despite playing two games already. Bowers had a very good first game and held his own against Montreal, relative to most of the team. Additionally, this could be the time for Adam Beckman and Dylan Wendt to make their preseason debuts.
The Capitals
Like the Devils, the Capitals played a game last night — they lost 4-2 to Boston. Per Capitals beat writer Tarik El-Bashir, this is how they lined up last night:
Expect the #Caps’ lineup to look like this tonight in BOS:
McMichael-Dubois-Wilson
A. Protas-Lapierre-Miro
Cristall-Sgarbossa-Frank
I. Protas-Rybinski-DubeFehervary-Roy
HHA-Bear
Priskie-IorioShepard*
Gibson*Shepard is scheduled to play the entire game, per Carbery.
— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) September 24, 2024
Given this group, there are a handful of players we can say are likely to play tonight at The Rock. Per the Washington Capitals, they currently have 51 players on their camp roster, compared to the 64 the Devils have in the mix (see John’s post from the other day regarding why they still have so many). I would expect Alex Ovechkin, Sonny Milano, Andrew Mangiapane, Dylan Strome, and Jakub Vrana to be among the dressed forwards, while John Carlson, Rasmus Sandin, Trevor Van Riemsdyk, and Jakob Chychrun could be likely participants on defense. With Hunter Shepard having played in goal for the previous game, I would expect at least one of Charlie Lindgren or Logan Thompson to play tonight.
Your Thoughts
With the Capitals sporting a bolstered roster, are you looking forward to tonight’s game? Do you think we will see all of Alex Ovechkin and Jack Hughes on the ice tonight? Do you view the Capitals as a playoff team? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.