The Devils are using camp the way they’ve been doing it all along: split into two groups, with practice taking place at the RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House inside Prudential Center. One group had no real shake-up on the blue line, while the only notable change up front was Squires skating on the wing with Glass and Brown. Boqvist and Noesen were not in that group.
Amanda Stein noted that Group 2 looked like the unit most likely to carry over into tomorrow’s preseason game against the Islanders, with the expectation that Saturday’s game at the Rangers will feature the closest version of the opening-night roster, give or take. She also pointed out that Boqvist and Noesen will have played their maximum of two games.
But the biggest storyline coming out of the day was the penalty kill, which has been central to the Devils’ strong start to the 2025-26 campaign. They opened the season by winning eight straight and going 8-1-0, and one of the biggest reasons was how well they handled shorthanded situations. New Jersey killed 26 of 27 penalties during that stretch, and the numbers backed up what the eye test said: this unit was driving results.
The Devils’ PK was already among the league’s best last season, finishing second with an 82.7 percent kill rate. Sheldon Keefe pointed to the personnel still in place and the need to build the kind of rhythm that makes the whole thing click.
“There are great pieces here to be a very good penalty kill. We went on a stretch last year where we went close to 20 in a row without giving one up,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said.
“The season before that we were at the top of the league. A lot of those players are still here.
It’s just a matter of that cohesion, find some confidence and some rhythm, stay healthy and do the work necessary.”
The issue last season, as the Devils see it, was less about talent than about availability and continuity. Brenden Dillon said injuries disrupted the flow and made it harder for the group to settle into the right feel.
“Injuries are going to happen,” defenseman Brenden Dillon said. “There is an upper echelon of power plays in the league that you have to be aware of with those super dynamic offensive players.
If I had to put my finger on one thing it’s just the chemistry of it. It’s very similar a good D pair or good forward line operating together when four guys are in the right spots and able to read off one another.
It’s easy to see and usually that’s a big reason why you can get those kills.”
Jonas Siegenthaler echoed that message and said the Devils want to be back near the top of the league on special teams.
“You always want to be top-5, top-3 in special teams. That’s our goal,” blueliner Jonas Siegenthaler said.
“I think last year, we weren’t bad, but we weren’t on the same page, everyone. I think that’s just a huge detail that matters.
If everybody is on the same page, if we work as a unit, we’re going to be successful. We just have to communicate, even in meetings.
If you have a question, ask a question. Get everyone on the same page so that we can execute as a four-man unit out there.”
That process has to happen quickly, too. With a shortened camp and fewer preseason games, there’s less time to build the kind of cohesion that special teams require. Dillon said the early preseason action helped, even if the situation itself wasn’t ideal.
“Shorter training camp and less preseason games is tough,” Dillon said. “My first preseason games was nice. We had like five or six PKs, which is good for repetition.
“Just getting that chemistry as a unit of four, that’s when we’re at our best."
Dillon also talked about what drives him and the kind of standard he wants to set.
“Talk can be cheap. Everybody can say they want to take that extra stride or block that extra shot, but to go out and do it is another thing.
I try my best to show that. I do want to win.
I feel like our group has all the pieces to do it.”
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Early preseason reps are often more about feel than results, and this one appears to fall into that familiar category for New Jersey. The Devils are still sorting through line combinations, and Manthas fit with Hughes and Bratt may take some time to settle in, but the upside is obvious enough to make the wait worthwhile if the chemistry comes. [Read more 🡒]