Devils praise Markstrom's 'unbelievable' debut

After one game, the New Jersey Devils are loving life with Jacob Markstrom between the pipes.

The club's marquee offseason acquisition had a stellar Devils debut Friday against the Buffalo Sabres in Prague, making 30 saves in a 4-1 victory. Markstrom's performance drew praise from the dressing room.

"He was unbelievable," forward Dawson Mercer told NHL.com's Mike G. Morreale. "When you have a goalie back there in net, and you feel confident up front that he's going to come up in big moments and step up at times and make those saves that count, it's great. I think he really did that in a few sequences throughout the night."

Although the Devils were in control for most of the game, Markstrom made some key stops to keep momentum in his team's favor. None were more impressive than his remarkable paddle save late in the first period.

The Devils acquired Markstrom from the Calgary Flames in June after finishing the 2023-24 season outside the playoffs in large part due to an .885 team save percentage - good for 30th in the NHL.

"This is why (general manager Tom Fitzgerald) prioritized the position," head coach Sheldon Keefe said.

Markstrom won 23 of 48 starts last season for a Flames team that missed the playoffs by a significant margin, but he proved his worth by ranking third among all goalies with 28.93 goals saved above expected, according to Evolving-Hockey.

The 34-year-old is under contract with the Devils through 2026, and New Jersey is widely expected to be back in contention in the Eastern Conference with Markstrom in goal.

"He's so solid," captain Nico Hischier said. "He played really well, and it's just great seeing him so confident back there. There weren't a lot of loose pucks. He was holding pucks, and it's just great to have 'Marky' in the net."