New Jersey Devils (2-4-0) at Philadelphia Flyers (3-2-1)
7:00 PM • Prudential Center
Morning Skate
- New Jersey will have a 10:30 AM morning skate at Prudential Center.
Tonight’s Roster
New Jersey Devils:
- Goaltenders: Keith Kinkaid, Cory Schneider.
- Defensemen: Andy Greene, Adam Larsson, Jon Merrill, John Moore, David Schlemko, Damon Severson.
- Forwards: Reid Boucher, Mike Cammalleri, Stephen Gionta, Adam Henrique, Jacob Josefson, Sergey Kalinin, Stefan Matteau, Tuomo Ruutu, Lee Stempniak, Jiri Tlusty, Pavel Zacha, Jordin Tootoo, Travis Zajac.
Philadelphia Flyers:
- Goaltenders: Jason LaBarbera, Steve Mason.
- Defensemen: Michael Del Zotto, Radko Gudas, Brandon Manning, Evgeny Medvedev, Nick Schultz, Mark Streit.
- Forwards: Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Sam Gagner, Claude Giroux, Scott Laughton, Vincent Lecavalier, Matt Read, Brayden Schenn, Wayne Simmonds, R.J. Umberger, Chris VandeVelde, Jakub Voracek, Ryan White.
Pre-Season Game Recaps
- Sept. 30: Devils 4 at Philadelphia 2 – New Jersey closed-out the road portion of its pre-season schedule and won for the second time in its last three games. The Flyers outshot the Devils, 29-27. Tuomo Ruutu, Adam Henrique (PP) and Travis Zajac (2g, GWG & ENG) each scored their first goal/point of the pre-season. Damon Severson and Jacob Josefson each recorded 2a in the contest. Josefson also scored in the mandatory 3-on-3 overtime demonstration following the game. Severson now leads the club with 3a/pts in the pre-season. Kyle Palmieri picked up an assist on Henrique’s goal and now has points in back-to-back games (1g-1a-2pts). David Schlemko made his pre-season debut after missing the first five games due to a groin injury. Keith Kinkaid (27 saves) made his third start and improved to 2-1-0.
- Sept. 26: NY Rangers 4 at Devils 3 – New Jersey dropped the second of back-to-back home games & fell to 1-4-0 in the pre-season overall. Reid Boucher, Stefan Matteau (PP) and Kyle Palmieri each scored for the Devils. Boucher now has goals in consecutive games and has played in three straight since returning to the lineup. Matteau’s tally was his first of the pre-season and the club’s fourth power play tally overall. Palmieri netted his first goal in a Devils’ sweater. He also recorded a team-high six shots on goal and leads New Jersey with 14 total in three appearances. Pavel Zacha registered the secondary assist on Matteau’s goal for his first point of the pre-season. Cory Schneider (20 saves) made his third start in goal.
- Sept. 25: NY Islanders 2 at Devils 4 – The Devils won their pre-season home-opener and improved to 1-3-0 overall. Joseph Blandisi (SH), John Moore, Mike Cammalleri (GWG) and Reid Boucher each scored for New Jersey. Lee Stempniak picked up an assist on Moore’s goal and now has points in back-to-back games (1g-1a-2pts). Keith Kinkaid (21 saves) made his second start of the pre-season and went the distance to improve to 1-1-0.
- Sept. 23: Devils 1 at NY Islanders 2 – New Jersey closed-out its three-game road trip to open the pre-season. Cory Schneider (25 saves) made his second straight start and went the distance in the loss. Lee Stempniak, who is attending camp as a PTO, scored the Devils’ first even-strength goal of the pre-season, an unassisted tally at 17:59 of the second period. Kyle Palmieri posted a team-high four shots on goal in the contest and leads the club with eight overall in two appearances. Reid Boucher made his pre-season debut after missing the first two games due to a concussion suffered September 12. He registered one shot on goal and was +1 in 15:17 of playing time. Tyler Kennedy, who is also attending camp as a PTO, scored in the 3-on-3 overtime demonstration that too place following the game.
- Sept. 21: Devils 3 at NY Rangers 6 – The Devils fell to 0-2-0 to open their 2015 pre-season schedule. Jordin Tootoo, Mike Sislo and Adam Larsson each scored a power play goal, as New Jersey went 3/5 with the man-advantage. Tyler Kennedy, who’s attending training camp on a PTO, recorded 2a. Cory Schneider (L, 32:26, 10 saves/12 shots against) made the start in goal. He was relieved by Yann Danis (26:27, 7 saves/11 shots against) midway through the second period. John Moore and Jiri Tlusty, who were each signed as free agents this summer, made their Devils’ pre-season debuts.
- Sept. 20: Devils 0 at Boston 2 – New Jersey played a pre-season game in Providence for the first time since September 28, 2001 (L, 0-2 to Boston). The Devils outshot the Bruins, 30-21. Keith Kinkaid (12 saves/13 shots against) made the start in goal for New Jersey but was replaced midway through the second period by Scott Wedgewood (8 saves/7 shots against). Kyle Palmieri and Sergey Kalinin led the Devils with four shots on goal apiece. John Quenneville and Pavel Zacha both made their NHL pre-season debuts. Zacha was the sixth overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Quenneville was chosen 30th overall by the Devils in 2014.
Tonight’s Storylines
- Shero’s Devils Take the Ice: Ray Shero was named the fourth general manager in team history on May 4, 2015. Prior to joining the Devils, he spent eight seasons, 2006-07 through 2013-14, as executive vice president and general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, During that time, the team compiled a 373-193-56 (.645) mark, won the 2009 Stanley Cup Championship, two consecutive Eastern Conference titles in 2007-08 and 2008-09 and had three first-place divisional finishes. Shero received the General Manager of the Year Award in 2012-13, as voted on by the 30 NHL GMs, a panel of NHL executives, as well as print and broadcast media.
- Hynes Leads New Coaching Staff: John Hynes was introduced as the 17th head coach in Devils’ history June 2, 2015. He joined the organization after spending the previous six seasons with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL), including the past five years, 2010-11 through 2014-15, as head coach. Hynes led the Penguins to a 231-126-10-17 (.637) mark during his tenure, including five straight 40-plus victory campaigns and five consecutive playoff berths, which included back-to-back AHL Eastern Conference Finals appearances in 2012-13 and 2013-14. On June 17, Geoff Ward and Alain Nasreddine were named assistant coaches. Ward was named the German Ice Hockey League’s Coach of the Year in 2014-15 after leading Adler Mannheim to the championship. Nasreddine spent the previous five seasons as an assistant under Hynes with Wilkes-Barre. Chris Terreri returns as goaltending coach, marking his 27th season with the organization and 15th as a member of its coaching staff.
- Schneider to Start in Goal: Cory Schneider is expected to make his fourth start of the pre-season tonight. He’s 0-2-0 with a 3.18 goals-against average & .873 save-percentage in his previous three appearances. In 2014-15, Schneider ranked third in the NHL in saves (1,834), shots against (1,982) & games started (68), was fourth in games-played (69), fifth in save-percentage (.925) & minutes (3,924), eighth with five shutouts (tie, seven others) and ninth in goals-against average (2.26, tie, Brian Elliott). He finished 14-13-6 with two shutouts, a 1.87 goals-against average & .934 save-percentage in 34 games at Prudential Center in 2014-15 & is 26-17-10 with five shutouts, a 1.74 GAA & .934 save % in 55 career games played at The Rock.
- Zacha Looking To Play One More: Pavel Zacha, the sixth overall selection of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, could skate in his fifth pre-season game tonight. He recorded his first point with a power play assist on Saturday vs. the New York Rangers. Zacha posted 16g-18a-34pts and 56 PIM in just 37 games last season for Sarnia (OHL) and was named to the OHL’s All-Rookie Team. He added 2g-1a-3pts and 10 PIM in five post-season contests and also skated for the Czech Republic at the World Junior Championships.
- Boucher Bounces Back: Reid Boucher leads the Devils with two goals (tie) and a +4 mark (tie) during the pre-season. He’s played in four consecutive games since returning from a concussion, which he suffered on September 12 during the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo. Boucher saw action with NJ and Albany in 2014-15. He skated in 11 NHL games, including 7 of final 10 contests from Mar. 23-Apr. 11 & scored his third career goal Apr. 3 vs. Montreal. Boucher also posted 15g-15a-30pts in 62 games with Albany last season.
- NHL Aspirations: Sergey Kalinin, who the Devils signed on May 29, is one of 16 forwards remaining in training camp. Kalinin has posted 0g-1a-1pt, nine shots on goal and is +2 in four pre-season appearances thus far. The 24-year-old spent the previous five seasons with Avangard Omsk (KHL) and set career highs across the board in 2014-15 with 12g-13a-25pts, 49 PIM & 58 games played, while serving as the club’s captain.
- Kennedy/Stempniak Seizing Opportunity: Tyler Kennedy and Lee Stempniak signed PTOs with the Devils Sept. 16. Kennedy recorded two power play assists on Sept. 21 at the New York Rangers, scored in the three-on-three overtime demonstration following the Sept. 23 game in Brooklyn. He split the 2014-15 season between San Jose (25 games), Worcester (AHL, 3) and the NY Islanders (13). Kennedy totaled 6g-8a-14pts in the regular season and also saw action in three playoff games for New York. The eight-year NHL veteran has career totals of 86g-113a-199pts and 225 PIM in 477 regular season contests, 12g-15a-27pts and 27 PIM in 79 post-season games and won the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 2009. Stempniak had points in back-to-back games Sept. 23-25 (1g-1a-2pts) and is +4 with seven shots on goal in four appearances overall. Last season, Stempniak posted 15g-13a-28pts in 71 games with the NY Rangers and Winnipeg and added 1g in four playoff games with Jets. The ten-year NHL veteran has totals of 165g-204a-369pts & 253 PIM in 708 games.
- Stefan Steps Up: Stefan Matteau, New Jersey’s first choice (29th overall) in the 2012 Entry Draft, scored a power play goal on Saturday vs. the New York Rangers. Matteau recorded 12g-15a-27pts in 61 AHL games last season, 11g-7a-18pts of which come over his final 31 appearances from Jan. 10-Apr. 18. He scored all four of his game-winning goals during that stretch, which ranked third (tie, Mike Sislo) on the club overall. Matteau also led Albany with a +9 mark (tie, Graham Black). He appeared in seven games with New Jersey last season, as well, and scored a goal vs. Montreal on Apr. 3.
- Larsson Gets Offensive: Adam Larsson posted 2g-18a-20pts in 42 games from January 3 through the end of the 2014-15 regular season schedule; he had 2g-11a-13pts in his previous 85 appearances dating back to the start of 2012-13. Larsson recorded a career-high 3a/pts February 20 vs. Vancouver and, with 3g-21a-24pts overall, established new career-highs across the board (previously, 2g-16a-18pts, 2011-12).
Injuries
- Forward Patrik Elias (right knee, six games missed) is out.
- Defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani (hip flexor, one game missed) is day-to-day.
- Forward Kyle Palmieri (lower body) is out.
Tyler Kennedy (personal reasons) will also not play tonight.
Transactions
- Sept. 27: Assigned 15 players to Albany (AHL): goaltenders Ken Appleby and Scott Wedgewood; defensemen Brandon Burlon, Raman Hrabarenka, Vojtech Mozik and Reece Scarlett; and forwards Joseph Blandisi, Blake Coleman, Ryan Kujawinski, Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond, Matt Lorito, Jim O’Brien, Blake Pietila, Mike Sislo, and Paul Thompson. Also, assigned to his junior team was: forward John Quenneville (Brandon, WHL).
- Sept. 24: Assigned seven players to Albany (AHL): goaltender Yann Danis; defensemen Dan Kelly and Jacob Sweeney; and forwards Graham Black, Chris McKelvie, Rod Pelley and Ben Thomson.
- Sept. 23: Assigned seven players to their junior teams: goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (Barrie, OHL); defensemen Joshua Jacobs (Sarnia, OHL), Ryan Rehill (Kamloops, WHL) and Colton White (Sault Ste. Marie, OHL); and forwards Brandon Baddock (Edmonton, WHL), Connor Chatham (Flint, OHL), and Blake Speers (Sault Ste. Marie, OHL). Also, forward Alexandre Goulet was been released from his ATO.
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