The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils at the Carolina Hurricanes
The Time: 7:30 PM
The Broadcast: TV — ESPN+, Radio — Devils Hockey Network
The Lineup is Set
New Jersey Devils fans worried that Brett Pesce, who was banged up in his last preseason appearance against the New York Rangers, would not be available for the season opener. However, Pesce was a full participant at practice, taking his spot to Luke Hughes’s right side. Pesce will be playing his 700th career game against the team he started his career with. This means that, aside from Johnny Kovacevic, who is out until after New Year’s, Stefan Noesen is the only regular who remains in the press box due to injury. Because of Noesen’s absence, newly-signed Devil Luke Glendening, who earned his spot as a fourth-line center in the preseason, will make his regular season debut with the team.
While these groups all worked together in the preseason, actual hockey is a whole different beast. Still, I am excited to see how Evgenii Dadonov does with Hughes and Bratt. In my opinion, Hughes hasn’t had a perfect fit of a line since he had Tyler Toffoli on his right, so leaning into their skills may improve their even strength production. As I wrote about Mercer in the Top 25 Under 25, he works very well with both Timo Meier and Nico Hischier, so I think the Hischier line should get off to a good start this season. Based off of preseason play, there might be some hope that Connor Brown adds enough to the third line to make Ondrej Palat have a better season. I would wager that Palat has until Noesen’s return to prevent a drop to the fourth line, so I am hoping for some good games from him. The fourth line, featuring the defensive specialist Glendening between Paul Cotter and Arseny Gritsyuk, is a decent blend of skill, physicality, defense, and speed. We are all well aware of Cotter’s speed, but Glendening was recorded in the 80th percentile in top skating speed and speed bursts over 20 miles per hour in NHL EDGE’s tracking data last season. Compared to last year’s fourth line, which totally lacked an identity after Cotter’s early-season scoring burst, I am looking forward to seeing them play.
On defense, we see the full return of the pairing of Jonas Siegenthaler and Dougie Hamilton, which helped lead the Devils to their best regular season record in their history in 2022-23. Siegenthaler had an excellent season in 2024-25, while Hamilton was just returning from pectoral surgery. An extra year removed from surgery, Dougie will have to let the slap shot fly early and often to remind everyone of his importance to the team. He will, however, be on the second power play, along with Arseny Gritsyuk, Ondrej Palat, Evgenii Dadonov, and Timo Meier. That will allow Luke Hughes to quarterback the first unit of the power play, which will feature Dawson Mercer in the netfront position along with Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, and Jack Hughes.
My eyes will be on how much chemistry Brenden Dillon and Simon Nemec have tonight. I particularly enjoyed seeing Nemec play next to Siegenthaler last season in the playoffs, and the Dillon-Hamilton pairing was one of the most offensively productive in the league last year. So, I thought it was interesting that Sheldon Keefe and Brad Shaw split those pairings up to give Hamilton more of a shutdown-style partner, while Nemec gets the bruiser on his left.
Can Carolina Do It This Year?
While we focus on the New Jersey Devils here, the Carolina Hurricanes are the team to beat in the Metropolitan Division. They acquired K’Andre Miller from the New York Rangers over the summer while signing former Winnipeg Jet Nikolaj Ehlers to a long-term contract. Miller, who was hurt during the preseason, will be ready to play tonight. The Devils are rather used to facing him. But Ehlers, whose speed ranks among the fastest players in the league, will be a weapon to watch on Rod Brind’Amour’s stingy and forecheck-heavy team.
Still, my issue with Carolina is their depth. Logan Stankoven and Jordan Staal do not instill much fear in me as middle six centers, but Taylor Hall will be a problem down the lineup for them. But, knowing they do not have a ton of skill in their bottom six, expect the Devils’ top six to be hounded by the Staal line tonight. Brind’Amour is pretty good at playing his matchups, and while Nico Hischier seemed to do well against Staal in the playoffs, they need to be careful that this does not turn into a neutral zone snooze fest. With Jaccob Slavin, K’Andre Miller, and Alexander Nikishin expected to man the left side, the Devils will have their work cut out for them if they do not get out to an early lead.
Back Where Everything Left Off
The 2024-25 Devils season ended in Raleigh, North Carolina. The 2025-26 season will start there. If the Devils are to purge their demons and finally make a playoff run — likely through Carolina — it would be best to get off on the right foot tonight. That means Jacob Markstrom needs to be on his game, and the Devils need to test Frederik Andersen in net. If the lines aren’t working out, in a road matchup with Brind’Amour having the last change, Sheldon Keefe needs to make changes earlier rather than later.
That said, I am looking forward to tonight. Hockey season has arrived, and I am ready to watch Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes play hockey again. I am looking forward to seeing how many goals Jesper Bratt can score with a surgically-repaired shoulder, along with Luke Hughes. It’s time to see these guys lead the Devils to a great season once more.
Your Thoughts
What do you think of tonight’s game? Are you looking forward to it? Who will score the first goal of the season? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.