Devils hockey is back.
After a long summer the New Jersey Devils will play their first competitive game since April when they take on the Boston Bruins tonight at 7 eastern (NESN, NHLN-US, MSG Plus).
While this game doesn't mean anything in the standings it certainly means a lot for many of the players involved.
The Devils are in the process of a rebuild so there are plenty of roster spots up for grabs. Tonight is the start of finding out who will step up and take them.
Several prospects like Pavel Zacha and Joseph Blandisi will be playing their first professional games while plenty of established NHLers such as Adam Henrique, Kyle Palmieri, and Damon Severson will also suit up.
Let's take a look at the projected lineup:
Quenneville - Henrique - Palmieri Ruutu - Zacha - Stempniak Kalinin - Josefson - Thompson PL3 - Blandisi - Lorito
Merrill - Severson Helgeson - Gelinas White - Schlemko Sweeney - Scarlett
Kinkaid (half) Wedgewood (half)
Who to watch:
- The Devils are hoping Pavel Zacha plays his way onto the team out of camp and he can start to do that tonight. He'll be given ample opportunity to showcase himself so it's up to him to do just that. Personally I think he should go back to Sarnia unless he is undisputedly ready for NHL minutes and even then a case could be made for sending him back and preserving a year on his entry-level deal.
- Joseph Blandisi and John Quenneville are two cats I'm looking forward to seeing against NHL competition. Both think they could be ready for the big time and we'll start to see just how close they are tonight. In all likelihood Blandisi will start the year in Albany and Quenneville will go back to the Brandon Wheat Kings but they will be given a fair shake to make the team. We'll see if they can take advantage of it.
- I'll be watching Sergey Kalinin closely tonight. He had a good but not great offensive year in the KHL so it will be interesting to see how his game translates over here. Can he be a scorer or is he a depth guy?
- It's Scott Wedgewood's job to lose in Albany. He's posted a better save percentage each and every year since entering pro hockey and the Devils are banking on him to continue that trend this season. Wedgewood is the only young goaltender in the organization that could be ready for NHL duty within the next two or three years so they need him to show he can handle NHL minutes if necessary.
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