With preseason a thing of the past, and the 23-man roster set, the New Jersey Devils are solely focused on their season opener against the Colorado Avalanche.
Today, John Hynes showed his hand for what line combinations we're likely to see on opening day. There weren't necessarily any big surprises, but I still have some thoughts.
We'll start with the forwards.
#NJDevils practice lines
— Andrew Gross (@AGrossRecord) October 4, 2017
Hall-Zacha-Palmieri
Johansson-Hischier-Stafford
Bratt-Henrique-Hayes
Wood-Coleman-Noesen
Gibbons also practicing
Intentional or not, I like that Hynes has a player capable of rushing the puck up ice and getting play moving in the right direction on all four lines. Hall is the premier player on the roster in that regard, the 2nd line is in good hands with Johansson and Hischier, Bratt's strong suit is skating and making plays in traffic, and Wood's best asset is his straight-line speed.
#NJDevils practice D-pairs
— Andrew Gross (@AGrossRecord) October 4, 2017
Greene-Severson
Mueller-Lovejoy
Moore-Butcher
Prout-Santini https://t.co/7JwzKXnniJ
Santini not getting a top-6 spot, at least to start, seems a little unfair based on his preseason play. He was effective moving the puck out of the zone, he looked really steady, and the Devils out-chanced their opponents 30-11 at 5v5 with him on the ice despite unfavorable zone starts.
I know the Devils don't want to litter their lineup with kids, and Lovejoy is pretty much sacrificed to help others get softer minutes, but I can't help but think they'd be better off with Santini playing.
#NJDevils PP units at practice:
— Andrew Gross (@AGrossRecord) October 4, 2017
Palmieri-Butcher, Hall-Henrique-Hayes (Triple H)
Mueller-Hischier, Johansson-Zacha-Stafford
The only problem I have with the two units: no Damon Severson. I think he's the best defenseman on the roster -- and still the most offensively gifted -- so not utilizing him on a power play seems odd, especially considering he's not one of the primary penalty killers.
On a positive note, I really like Hischier playing point/on the half-wall. I think he'll be able to survey the ice and really put his vision and creativity to use in that spot. His shot is also good enough to still be a threat to score from a distance, as Braden Holtby learned during the preseason.
Perhaps the most telling thing about Hischier's role is how much faith Hynes is showing in him. The Devils were careful not to put big expectations on Hischier but he showed so well in the preseason that the training wheels are being taken off. I love it.
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