4 Takeaways From Devils' 3-0 Preseason Loss to Canadiens
Despite the loss, there were some notable individual performances in the New Jersey Devils' preseason tilt against the Montreal Canadiens
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Are the New Jersey Devils going for a defeated preseason after finishing 7-0-0 last season? Jokes aside, the Devils fell 3-0 to the Montreal Canadiens in their second preseason game of 2024-25, moving them to 0-2-0.
Fortunately, the result shouldn't matter much since the Devils iced a pretty watered-down lineup featuring few NHLers and many prospects and PTOs. Here are notable takeaways from some individual performances.
Allen & Daws Did Their Part
With the Devils playing again tonight and Jacob Markström having gotten the start on Sunday, Jake Allen got the nod yesterday. His first start of the preseason went quite well, and it's not like the Canadiens played their AHL squad.
Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki, and Mike Matheson were all in the lineup. As was Sam Montembault in net. Allen went up against some NHL talent, which showed in different spurts before he made way for Nico Daws about halfway through the second period.
Allen made a couple of impressive stops in the first, most notably Owen Beck with his left pad to open the game then later on a wrist shot from Beck in the slot. He also stopped every shot he faced on the penalty kill, though it's not like the Canadiens' power play was firing on all cylinders.
Allen departed the game having made 12 saves on 13 shots while giving up one goal on 0.91 expected goals, meaning he stopped what was expected of him.
It wasn't just Allen who looked good in net, though. Daws faced a fair bit of work, and made plenty of impressive stops. His best came on a defensive breakdown that led to Caufield getting in alone on him, but he kicked the shot away with his left pad.
The one goal Daws gave up came on a redirect, so it's hard to blame him for allowing that. He ended his night making 14 saves on 15 shots while stopping 1.97 goals above expected. It was a much more sound performance than his third-period showing against the New York Islanders on Sunday night when he let in a softy that ended up being the game-winner.
Casey Impresses in Devils Debut
In a game like last night's, when there aren't many NHLers in the lineup, the focus should be on individual performances. Among the standouts were Brian Halonen, Seamus Casey, and Kevin Labanc, who are likely on the bubble of the NHL roster.
Let's start with Casey, one of the Devils' top prospects. His five-on-five numbers weren't great — he finished with a 20.01 expected goals share (xG%) — but he did some good things.
Casey didn't shy away from playing some tough defense. There was a play early in the second when he stripped the puck from Slafkovsky along the wall and won possession back. He also canceled out Beck at the blue line in the third period, freeing up the puck, and he was getting shots through traffic in the offensive zone.
Coach Sheldon Keefe had some praise for Casey after the game (via Amanda Stein):
"I thought he played with a lot of confidence, played with his head up, played with intelligence. I was happy with the way that he played here today. It was a good first game for him.”
I'd be surprised if Casey makes the opening-night roster, but he's already caught Keefe's attention, and in a good way. And that should bode well for him.
Halonen Begins Building His Case
The Devils didn't score a goal, but Halonen was active offensively. He finished with four scoring chances and two high-danger chances at all strengths, and he was one of the few Devils who managed to create some offense.
Halonen might have a legitimate chance at making the Devils' NHL roster. I know fans may be excited about what a Paul Cotter, Curtis Lazar and Nathan Bastian line can do, but I can see Halonen challenging Bastian for that spot.
One) Halonen is a bit cheaper than Bastian. Two) He might be better than Bastian, especially offensively. Halonen sure looks like he can play a physical game while adding some offense in a bottom-six role, something Bastian doesn't offer. It's something to watch for the rest of the preseason.
Labanc Showed He Might Have Something to Offer
Kevin Labanc may be on a PTO, but that could eventually become a standard NHL contract. He led the team in shot attempts (8) and had four scoring chances and one high-danger chance at all strengths.
Labanc nearly got the Devils on the board when he had a grade-A chance on an abbreviated 5-on-3 power play at the end of the second period, but the shot never made it through. I liked his work ethic, and he showed some skill on a couple of rush chances. He just needs to hit the net more often.
I'm not sure if Keefe will give Labanc a chance with a Devils lineup that'll come closer to resembling their opening-night roster, but I would like to see what he can do with more talent around him.
Quick Hits
If Kurtis MacDermid plays during the regular season, he can't be doing what he did last night. Having him play five minutes or whatever to drop the gloves is fine. But if he's taking six minutes' worth of minor penalties and consistently putting the team shorthanded, that will be a problem.
I thought Šimon Nemec had a bit of a rough game defensively. It seemed like he was out of position a few times, and his defensive numbers were not great; the Devils gave up 0.8 expected goals when he was on the ice. It was far from his best performance, but I thought Nemec did some good things on the power play. He was getting shots through traffic, and there was a keep he made at the blue line on the man advantage that caught my eye. Unfortunately, the Devils couldn't do anything with that play, but it was still impressive.
Game Score Chart
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