Devils, Pavel Zacha pleased with rookie's 1st preseason performance

The first top-flight selection from the 2015 Draft was in action Sunday night as Pavel Zacha and the New Jersey Devils suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Boston Bruins.

Though the center failed to mark the scoresheet in his debut, Zacha and the Devils' new-look coaching staff came away encouraged by his performance.

"We liked his game," coach John Hynes told Tom Gulitti of the Bergen Record. "We thought he showed speed. He was strong on the puck at times. He did a pretty good job in the faceoff circle. So, it was good performance for him."

Zacha was only slightly more excited.

"It was a great feeling. I had the feeling I was happy on the ice and it was just an amazing thing to play in my first NHL game. I know it was just the preseason, but it was a great atmosphere and I think we played pretty good and I really enjoyed it."

The talented sixth overall pick should have every opportunity to make the Devils, who were starved of scoring last season. Their 176 total goals ranked third-fewest in the NHL.