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The New Jersey Devils opened up preseason in fine fashion Monday night with a 2-1 win over the New York Rangers.
Considering it was the first game either team has played this year, I thought the pace was pretty good.
Here are some thoughts on the game:
- I'll start with Cory Schneider because...how can I not? He looked fantastic last night stopping all 22 shots he faced in the first 40 minutes. Schneider was positionally sound, was poised when playing the puck and made a few stellar saves - notably his stick save on Brad Richards.
- Eric Gelinas played some fantastic hockey last night. He was good defensively and broke up a couple quality chances with his positioning and stick work. He also scored on an absolute bomb from the point. I said throughout the summer that Gelinas might have a leg up over other competition for a roster spot because of his big shot and he sure showed it last night.
After Ilya Kovalchuk left the Devils never really replaced his shot on the power play, and Gelinas is a guy who is capable of doing so. I think he might be the favorite among the Devils young defensemen to make the team this season.
- Adam Larsson really impressed me against the Rangers. He played almost 25 minutes and looked like a seasoned veteran. He was poised with the puck, made some good outlet passes and setup a few nice chances on the power play. Larsson showed a bit of edge, too, as he had a pretty big hit on Aaron Asham.
- Jacob Josefson didn't stand out but he played pretty well. He had his fair share of chances and led the Devils with four shots. He also won 54% of his faceoffs which is nice because the Devils aren't a great team in the faceoff dot.
- Devils writer Michelle Kenneth was commenting all throughout training camp that Mattias Tedenby looks a lot better this season. She was right. He was playing with a lot of energy but was calm with the puck. He was taking his time and making smart plays rather than forcing the issue. Tedenby also looked a lot stronger and was much tougher to push off the puck.
- I thought Alex Urbom also played pretty well last night. He kept a few pucks in, had an assist and made a few nice defensive plays while logging almost 22 minutes of ice. He wasn't as flashy as Gelinas, but he played some good hockey.
- Damien Brunner only signed a professional tryout with the Devils, but make no mistake about it: he will make the team. Brunner is an excellent skater, loaded with talented, is versatile and can put up points. Unless he has a terrible preseason, which I highly doubt will happen, he'll be signed.
That's bad news for Tedenby, Josefson, Stephen Gionta, Rusty Olesz and company. If the Devils sign Brunner and a guy like Gelinas makes the team without a defenseman being moved out, there's probably only room for one of them.
**
Henrik Tallinder wasn't a fan of Pete DeBoer.
Is Martin Brodeur coming back next season? It sounds like he might be.
A look at the Devils player ratings in NHL 14.
A look at the Devils top five defence prospects.
A look at the Devils top five forward prospects.
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