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Paul Cotter considers himself fortunate as the New Jersey Devils prepare to face the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday.
Feb 4, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New Jersey Devils center Paul Cotter (47) celebrates with the Devils bench after scoring in the shootout against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The 25-year-old began his NHL career with the Golden Knights and is thrilled that the NHL schedule makers had his former team travel to New Jersey before he returned to the place he called home for three years.
“I am very, very lucky that we played them first at home, just to kind of get that out of the way,” Cotter told The Hockey News.
Would it have been mentally taxing for the forward to play his former team in Las Vegas?
“I think it would have been,” he said. “(In that first game against Vegas), it was odd. Even going into warm-ups, you look over, and you know everyone on the other side. They are all laughing at you, smiling, and having fun.
“It is also the style of game that I play,” he continued. “On the forecheck, I am going to go in and absolutely kill someone, get the puck, retrieve it, and make a play. It is hard when the guy I am going against I played with for years. You know, your best buddies with half of them, and you have so much respect for them. We won together with the majority of them, so yeah, it is hard to play that style of game.”
Little did Cotter know, Zach Whitecloud would have no issues bringing that physicality against his former teammate.
“As soon as Whitecloud hit me, it was like, alright, game on,” Cotter said with a smile. “He blew me up pretty good. (He had) his little smirk after the game when I saw him. I will get him back. He knows it.”
Now that the “sound barrier,” as Cotter refers to it, has been broken, it is full tilt and back to business for the Michigan native.
Cotter leads the Devils with 195 hits this season. Against his former team on March 6, he was credited with one hit, which is low for a player who averages three per game. Expect more physicality from the 6-foot-2 forward on Sunday.
The game is also a milestone for Cotter, as it is his 200th career NHL game. Entering the contest, he has 13 goals, which ties his career high. He has a chance to earn a new record in goals scored in the building, where he celebrated his first.
Puck drop between the Devils and Golden Knights will be at 8:00 p.m. Fans can watch on MSGSN or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.
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