The New Jersey Devils were preparing for their final game of the 2021 preseason. They had an interesting lineup, with Alexander Holtz on the fourth line and Dawson Mercer centering the second line. Mackenzie Blackwood was supposed to be in the lineup and he was going to play a minimum of 40 minutes. Well, that is until he just wasn’t.
The question of Blackwood was going to be answered after the game as per the broadcast. Out of nowhere, Scott Wedgewood was named the starter and Akira Schmid was named the backup. Of course, this caused a lot of commotion as people speculated wildly why Blackwood would be removed last minute. His vaccination status doesn’t help matters. Either way, the answer isn’t coming now. It might not ever come if he just shows up at practice tomorrow. It might be one of those forever mysteries.
And that’s because the game against the New York Islanders was canceled. The Devils and the Prudential Center lost power, and then they couldn’t get it back to the entire arena. A statement from the Devils showed that the Islanders weren’t a fan of either waiting or playing with a half-lit arena.
"In consultation with the Islanders and the NHL, it was determined that the playing conditions were unsuitable for players on both teams."
This is a bad look for the Devils, but it’s even worse for the players trying to get a spot on this roster. Jimmy Vesey, Fredrik Gauthier, and Mason Geersten were all veterans trying to fight for a job. Holtz and Mercer needed one more game to push their status on the roster over the top. It was one of the only times the Devils were facing close to a full lineup with a decent lineup themselves. The Islanders were playing 75% of their opening night players including Ilya Sorokin in net.
The Devils said they would give regular season tickets to the people in attendance. That’s nice, but it still puts a lot of questions on the table. For now, the Devils lose one last option to get a look at the players on the bubble.