For the first time this season, the goalkeeper Jacob Markstrom leads the New Jersey Devils on the ice.
It was a special moment as he began his New Jersey tenure 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 swords.
Behind the New Jersey bench, for the first time, was the head coach Sheldon Keefe.
Wearing a black suit and a stoic expression, Keefe watched his team take a 1-0 lead thanks to Stefan Noesen. The winger’s shot beat opposing goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen around midway in the first period.
Kovacevic was credited with the only assist, earning his first point of the season in his first minutes as a Devil. The defender continued to shine as he extended New Jersey’s lead to 2-0 with his first goal since January 23, 2024.
In the first period, the 27-year-old defenseman played six minutes, scoring a goal, adding an assist and blocking a shot. Not a bad way for the new guy to make a good impression.
“It was a lot of fun playing with the band,” Kovacevic said. “Obviously it’s great to get the win, so it’s a good start to the season.”
At the start of the second period, Nicolas Hischier beat Luukkonen for his first goal of 2024-25. Paul Cotter sent the puck toward the net, where Nathan Bastian collected it and quickly moved it to his captain to give New Jersey a 3-0 lead.
Markstrom was perfect after 40 minutes of play, making 18 saves, including an impressive save on Nicolas Aube-Kubel.
“I couldn’t tell exactly how this one stayed away, which is usually a sign that the goalie did something amazing,” Keefe said of his keeper. “He was great.”
In the third period, Markstrom gave up his first and only goal on the 24th shot he faced. Sabers defenseman Owen Power’s wrist shot beat the New Jersey goaltender with 9:53 remaining.
After a late push from Buffalo, Cotter scored into the empty net in the final minutes of the match to secure a 4–1 victory for his club.
The old Vegas Gold Knight was one of the few players who impressed in their Devils debut. Markstrom made 30 saves on 31 shots, while Kovacevic had two points and received the first All-Star of the game.
After the game, Keefe met with the media following his first win as head coach of the Devils. He explained that his group was ready to hit the ground running after a preseason in which nothing really clicked.
“It didn’t really pan out for us in pre-season, but the signs were there,” he said. “We’ve had some really good practices since the end of preseason, and I think the guys were excited to play, and that showed right from the start.”
The Devils were heavy on the forecheck, crushed the net and played with the style Keefe has implemented 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 Sabers before returning to New Jersey on Sunday.
Related: Markstrom Makes Economy of the Year Candidate in Opener
