For the first time this season, goaltender Jacob Markstrom led the New Jersey Devils onto the ice.
It was a special moment as he began his tenure in New Jersey at the O2 Arena in Prague, Czechia, as part of the 2024 NHL Global Series.
The 34-year-old was joined by defensemen Brenden Dillon, Johnathan Kovacevic, Seamus Casey, and forward Paul Cotter, who all made their Devils debut against the Buffalo Sabres.
Behind New Jersey’s bench, for the first time, was head coach Sheldon Keefe.
Wearing a black suit and stoic expression, Keefe saw his team jump to a 1-0 lead courtesy of Stefan Noesen. The winger’s shot beat opposing netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen near the halfway point of the first period.
Kovacevic was credited with the lone assist, earning his first point of the season within his first few minutes as a Devil. The defenseman continued to shine as he extended New Jersey’s lead to 2-0 with his first goal since Jan. 23, 2024.
In the opening period, the 27-year-old blueliner played six minutes, scoring one goal, adding one assist, and blocking one shot. Not a bad way for the new guy to make an impression.
“It was a lot of fun to play with the group,” Kovacevic said. “Obviously, it is great when you get the win, so it is a great start to the season.”
Early in the second period, Nico Hischier beat Luukkonen for his first goal of 2024-25. Paul Cotter blasted the puck toward the net, where Nathan Bastian picked it up and quickly moved it toward his captain for a 3-0 New Jersey lead.
Markstrom was perfect after 40 minutes of play, making 18 saves, including an impressive save on Nicolas Aube-Kubel.
“I couldn’t exactly tell how that one stayed out, which is usually a sign that the goaltender did something incredible,” Keefe said of his netminder. “He was great.”
In the third period, Markstrom gave up his first and only goal on the 24th shot he faced. Sabres defenseman Owen Power’s wrist shot beat New Jersey’s netminder with 9:53 remaining.
After a late push from Buffalo, Cotter hit the empty net in the waning minutes of the game to secure a 4-1 victory for his club.
The former Vegas Golden Knight was one of a handful of players who impressed in their Devils debut. Markstrom made 30 saves on 31 shots, while Kovacevic earned two points and was given the first Star of the Game honors.
After the game, Keefe met with the media after his first win as the Devils’ head coach. He explained that his group was ready to get things going after a preseason in which nothing quite clicked.
“It didn’t really come together for us in preseason, but the signs were there,” he said. “We have had some really good practices since preseason concluded, and I think the guys were excited to play, and it showed early on.”
The Devils were heavy on the forecheck, crashed the net, and played with the style Keefe has been implementing since their training camp opened in September.
The Devils will be back in action Saturday morning. They will conclude their back-to-back against the Sabres before returning to New Jersey on Sunday.
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