Preseason Game #2 Preview: New Jersey Devils at Montreal ...

The Details:

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils at the Montreal Canadiens

Time: 7:00 PM ET

Broadcast: TV - ESPN+, RDS / Audio - The Devils Hockey Network on Audacy

Last Devils Game:

On September 22, 2024, the Devils kicked off their preseason schedule with a 4-2 loss to the New York Islanders at The Rock. See Jackson’s recap of that game here.

Last Canadiens Game:

The Canadiens started their preseason schedule last night with a 5-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Last Time:

The Devils last played the Canadiens on February 24, 2024. In that matchup the Devils won a 4-3 game against Jake Allen, who has since joined Our Favorite Team. The Devils scored two goals in the third period to come away victorious. See John’s recap of that game here.

What to Expect: Montreal Canadiens

Defense

Defensively, the Canadiens struggled in the 2023-2024 campaign. The Habs surrendered 281 goals last season, which was tied for the fifth most in the NHL. The Devils barely trailed the Canadiens giving up 280 goals last season. The Canadiens also coughed up the second most Scoring Chances Against (SCA) last season. Finally, while plus/minus is far from the most definitive measure of the strength of a team’s defensive corps, it is interesting to note that Johnathan Kovacevic led Canadiens with +11 in 62 games played in 2023-2024. As I’m sure Devils fans are aware, Kovacevic is now a member of the Devils revamped blue line and played well against the Islanders.

Johnathan Kovacevic fights for the puck against the New York Islanders. Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Goaltending

While some might look at the number of goals the Canadiens gave up last year and jump to conclusions about the goaltending... think twice. Sam Montembeault led the team with 41 games played in the 2023-2024 season and posted a 0.903 save percentage. The 27-year-old also posted 1.06 Goals Saved Against Average (GSAA). The reason Montreal felt comfortable enough to let veteran Jake Allen go was due to the play of Cayden Primeau. Primeau, a 25-year-old goaltender, played in 23 games with the Canadiens last season. Primeau posted an impressive .910 save percentage and 5.72 GSAA during those games. If Primeau and Montembeault play at that same level this season, the duo will be tough.

Offense

The Canadiens struggled on offense last season and finished 26th in the NHL in Goals For (GF). Nick Suzuki led the team with 33 goals and 77 total points. Sniper Cole Caufield was not far behind finishing the 2023-2024 season with 28 goals and 65 total points. The offensive numbers drop off quickly after that, with Juraj Slavkovsky finishing his first full NHL season with 20 goals and 50 total points. All three of those players occupy the Habs’ first line. If the Devils can find a way to shut down that top line, as with most teams, it will likely be a good day for the black and red.

Special Teams

The Habs power play and penalty kill both struggled last season. The Canadiens power play tallied 45 goals last season, which ranked 23rd in the NHL last season. To make things worse, the team gave up 12 shorthanded goals last year, which was tied for the worst in the NHL. The Devils gave up 9 shorthanded goals in 2023-2024, which drove me nuts, so I can only imagine how Canadiens fans felt. The Canadiens penalty kill was not any better surrendering 65 goals last season, which was the third most in the NHL.

Offseason Additions

Aside from dealing Johnathan Kovacevic to the Devils, the Canadiens did not make much noise in the offseason. The Habs added winger Patrick Laine from the Columbus Blue Jackets back in August. Laine only played in 18 games last season due to injury. The Canadiens will be hoping Laine can return to 2021-2022 season form when he tucked 26 goals or, even better, the 2017-2018 form when he buried over 40 goals.

The Habs also extended Slavkovsky, the former 1st overall pick, to an eight year extension.

What to Watch For: Devils

The biggest offseason news from the Devils camp was the addition of Jacob Markstrom. Since Markstrom played two periods in their first preseason game and looked solid, I would guess that Jake Allen will get time between the pipes tonight. Devils fans have had high hopes regarding their goaltending situation before... only to be let down. To see solid play from both Markstrom AND Allen in the preseason would go a long way to ease the nerves of Devils fans.

It will also be interesting to see what head coach Sheldon Keefe does with the forward lines and defensive pairings. Jack Hughes, Timo Meier, and Dawson Mercer all sat out in the first preseason game against the Islanders. For Hughes and Meier, who are still recovering from injuries treated in the offseason, what is their status? Against the Islanders, the line of Bratt-Hischier-Tatar had success, but will Keefe experiment any further? Will he return to the line combination of Tatar-Hischier-Mercer, which was so successful in the 2022-2023 season? In addition, the line of Paul Cotter, Curtis Lazar, and Nate Bastian played well against the Islanders. Will Keefe continue to tinker with that line or will he give them more time together to gel?

The defensive pairings will continue garner attention. Offseason additions and injuries have made these pairings more difficult to predict. Luke Hughes will miss the first six to eight weeks of the season with a shoulder injury, Simon Nemec suffered an “upper body” injury in an Olympic qualifier game, and Brett Pesce is week-to-week recovering from a fractured fibula. How serious was the Nemec injury really? Will Brenden Dillon remain paired with Dougie Hamilton, as in the first preseason game, or will Jonas Siegenthaler be given a shot to retake that position?

Game two of the preseason could provide some more information on how Sheldon Keefe and the Devils will start the season.

Your Take

What do you think the line combinations should be? What do you think the defense pairings should be? What will you be watching for in the second preseason game? Leave your answers and thoughts in the comments! Thank you for reading and GO DEVILS!