Devils' 5-3 Loss to Capitals: Casey Stands Out

Seamus Casey was among the standouts in the New Jersey Devils' 5-3 loss to the Washington Capitals

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The New Jersey Devils iced a lineup closer to what they'll look like in Prague a week from now, but they still fell 5-3 to the Washington Capitals in one of their final tuneups before leaving for Prague this weekend.

It wasn't the best performance from the Devils, especially during the second period. But they found some life in the third and made it a game. Here are three takeaways.

Casey Was the Devils' Best Player

Seamus Casey is making a name for himself this preseason, and last night was only his second game in a Devils sweater. It's hard to argue with the praise, though, as he was the team's best player last night.

Casey first caught my attention early in the first period when he sealed off a much bigger Brandon Duhaime and freed up the puck, preventing a quality scoring chance. I've always liked his defensive upside, but I didn't think he'd look this sound defensively right off the bat, even if it's just the preseason.

Defensive game aside, Casey's best moments last night came on offense. The Devils had trouble generating offense as a team for the most part, but he was in the thick of the action almost every time he was on the ice.

Casey showed against the Montreal Canadiens 24 hours earlier that he can get shots through traffic, and he was doing that last night. Sometimes, it'd be a seemingly harmless wrister from the point that found its way to Capitals netminder Logan Thompson. Other times, he used his patience or stickhandling to create a better shooting lane for himself.

Casey finished with a team-high ten shot attempts at all strengths, as well as five scoring chances, the latter of which was second to Timo Meier among Devils skaters. Casey also picked up the primary assist on Jack Hughes' goal to make it a 4-3 game late in the third.

The Devils are a little banged up on defense right now, with Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce likely out to start the regular season. Johnathan Kovacevic has shown well in his two preseason outings, but Casey sure looks like he belongs.

Jack Hughes even had high praise for Casey after the game, stating (via Amanda Stein):

"I’ve watched a lot of him over the years, I thought he had a great game. Moved the puck well, defended hard, he’s a really good skater. I was honestly surprised at how good he was tonight.”

The Devils have one preseason game left (tomorrow vs. NYI) before leaving for Prague on Sunday for the Global Series. It would not shock me if Casey plays again for one final look, and if he performs well, he could head to Prague with an NHL roster spot in hand.

Meier, Hughes & Bratt Had a Rough Night

Now, for some bad. I have no problem with Sheldon Keefe wanting to try Meier, Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt together. As I've stated a few times, it's a new coach and new system, so try to see if it works this time.

While it started pretty well, it did not end that way. The Hughes line got the first shift of the game and immediately created a couple of scoring chances, with Bratt setting up Meier for a high-danger chance ten seconds into the game.

But after that, it was much of the same from what we've seen of this line since the Devils acquired Meier at the 2023 trade deadline. There were moments when it seemed like the chemistry was just off between the three. For example, I thought Hughes missed some passes he'd usually make when he's on his game.

Still, that wasn't so much the concern with these three. The Hughes line got their clocks cleaned defensively, giving up 1.41 expected goals and seven high-danger chances when they were on the ice.

It probably makes sense to give this trio one more look to start tomorrow's game. After all, it's Hughes and Meier's first couple of games healthy in many months. It might just take a bit of time for them to click, but Keefe should start thinking about other combos to put together since history tells us that line may not work, no matter the sample size.

It Might Already Be Time to Break Up Dillon & Hamilton

Brenden Dillon picked up a couple of points (1g, 1a), but for the second game in a row, he and Dougie Hamilton failed to post positive five-on-five results as a defense pair.

Dillon and Hamilton were underwater in expected goals share (xG%) on Sunday against the Islanders and were sub-30 percent in xGs last night. Dillon, in particular, struggled defensively, as he was on the ice for 1.41 expected goals against.

Though you could argue they need more reps together, I'd already break them up if I were Keefe and reunite Jonas Siegenthaler with Hamilton. Siegenthaler and Hamilton have an xG% above 55 percent in a sample that's about 1,500 minutes. It may be a new system, but I would bet on them posting positive results again, given the history.

Quick Hits

• Casey's defense partner, Daniil Misyul, also had a solid game. He wired a shot off the post and had a couple of scoring chances. His defensive game was sound, and he played with some bite. He led the team in xG% last night (52.69 percent), and with Santeri Hatakka possibly injured, he may now be in the mix for a roster spot.

• Some of the Devils' worst moments last night came with players who probably won't be on the opening-night roster. Colton White was on the ice for three goals against, and you could blame him for at least two of them. The same for Nick DeSimone, who was on the ice with White when they lost track of Dylan Strome when he scored on a breakaway. That's why I'm not overly concerned about some of the defensive breakdowns, but there is certainly room for improvement defensively.

• Jacob Markström gave up four goals on 26 shots, but that was not a good defensive performance in front of him; he only gave up 0.77 goals above expected. That should hopefully sort itself out once Keefe ices a roster that will essentially be the team's blue line to open up in Prague.

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