The regular season is just around the corner, and there are a few games in October I have my eyes on.
Friends, we are almost there. The first New Jersey Devils preseason game of the year is in just 13 days, and the team should be gearing up for the season in training camp a week from now. As the team ties up its last loose ends of the offseason, it is time for the fans to mentally prepare: the New Jersey Devils are back. Today, I wanted to circle a few points of the early-season calendar that I am eager to see.
October 4 (and 5): Facing Lindy Ruff’s Sabres in Prague
When Lindy Ruff was hired by the Buffalo Sabres, I found myself wondering if he would be able to give them enough of an offensive boost to make the playoffs. I do think they made a mistake in buying Jeff Skinner out, leaving them with over $8 million in cap space and without one of their top scorers. However, their acquisitions of Ryan McLeod and Nicolas Aube-Kubel should prove to make the Sabres much faster, as well as a tougher defensive team.
I think a Ruff-led team will be very interesting to watch when he has a guy like Tage Thompson. Thompson, who had a 47-goal, 94-point 2022-23 season, struggled a bit last season as he missed a handful of games, with his shot taking a few steps back. Alongside Thompson, Dylan Cozens and Rasmus Dahlin saw significant decreases in production. Will Ruff be able to turn them around? Maybe — each of those three players are very young, and the Sabres hope their 2022-23 selves are the players they will be moving forward. The Devils certainly saw a taste of Tage’s 2022 self when he scored four goals on them in March, in one of Travis Green’s most disgustingly coached games at the helm of the Devils.
The Sabres are not an expected playoff team, but they are still presumably rising. With the Devils facing them on back-to-back nights in Czechia, the Devils have a chance to start the season off strong. That said, Buffalo’s collection of young talent has lot of potential, and it will not be a cakewalk for the Devils. Do I wish the Devils could actually start the season at home? Sure. A 1PM game on a Friday is pretty much the worst way NHL schedulers could have thought this up. At least I’ll be able to watch the part 2.
October 15: Testing the New-Look Hurricanes
On July 7, Cory Lavalette did a roundup for the Hurricanes’ offseason moves for The Athletic. They lost Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen, and Stefan Noesen on the forward side, putting a massive dent into their offensive profile. They did sign Jack Roslovic, William Carrier, Eric Robinson, and Tyson Jost — so they might have a faster and more physical bottom six. Will they score more goals? Almost certainly not.
On the defensive side, they lost Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce. Tony DeAngelo going to Russia was addition by subtraction. They did replace their losses with Sean Walker, Shayne Gostisbehere, Ty Smith, and Riley Stillman. Sean Walker was outstanding for Philadelphia last season before he was traded to Colorado, and I think he will do well in Carolina. Shayne Gostisbehere is one of the most underrated offensive defensemen in the league, and he will at least play defense a lot better than DeAngelo. Will they be able to make anything of Smith or Stillman? Time will tell, but I imagine they have plans for Ty Smith.
On the whole, though, the Hurricanes look a lot worse. In a very competitive Eastern Conference, I could even see them missing the playoffs. October 15 will be an early test of that, as the Hurricanes have given the Devils a lot of trouble over the last few years, and I’m not sure if they will be able to continue that run. Rod Brind’Amour might be a good coach, but there’s only so many roster subtractions that a team can handle. Losing two of their best three defensemen, their best offensive forward, and two great middle-six options and replacing them with downgrades probably won’t lead to them repeating as a top-10 offensive and top-5 defensive team. I will certainly be looking to see if Pesce and Noesen have an edge against their former team, as well.
October 30: The Second Hughes Bowl in Vancouver
Last season, there was only one true “Hughes Bowl” — a game in which all three of Quinn, Jack, and Luke Hughes play with or against each other. It proved to be an amazing game, with Jack Hughes putting up three points, Luke Hughes scoring a power play goal, and Jesper Bratt scoring a game-winning goal with just 34 seconds to play, making the final score 6-5 in Vancouver.
A month later, Jack Hughes was hurt in the bloodbath with the Chicago Blackhawks, effectively dooming the season. A day after he was hurt, the Devils played one of their most bizarre games of the season against Vancouver, giving up three goals in the first five minutes before getting to within one goal twice during the game, despite Nico Daws facing far more shots than Thatcher Demko, as they fell to Vancouver, 6-4.
Again, I curse the NHL schedulers. The first Hughes Bowl of the season — a late-night game for east coasters — is on a Wednesday. The second Hughes Bowl of the season, and the first true one in New Jersey, takes place on a Monday in March, assuring that many west coasters will be unable to watch.
You can be assured that I will be up to watch this game, though. The Hughes Bowl is the best in-game collection of sibling talent in all of professional sports right now. This is especially true if Luke Hughes takes a jump in year two, as he projects to be a very high-scoring defenseman if he makes improvements to his game at even strength — he showed off his shot in Vancouver last year, and I’m looking to see him put a few more in the back of the net by himself this season. Meanwhile, a healthy Jack Hughes will be looking to get off to a fast start this October, as he seemed destined for 100 or even 110 points in the early 2023-24 season. And of course, the reigning Norris Trophy holder, Quinn Hughes, will be looking to solidify his status as the best defenseman in the league. Nothing brings out high effort like competing against brothers, and there could be some offensive fireworks in this game, just like last year.
Your Thoughts
What do you think about these coming matchups in the month of October? Is there a certain game I didn’t mention that you’re looking forward to? Will you be attending a game in the preseason or October? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.