By Chris Ryan | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Welcome to the Devils' 2018-19 season.

The regular season officially starts when the Devils play the Edmonton Oilers at 1 p.m. Eastern on Saturday at Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden. While the two teams are playing at a neutral site in Europe, the contest counts as a home game for the Devils.

Jesper Bratt will miss the game after suffering a broken jaw in Thursday's practice, but the Devils will have the rest of their opening-night roster ready to roll.

Here's how the Devils and Oilers will line up, plus notes and quotes to game No. 1 of 2018-19.

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Ed Mulholland | USA TODAY Sports

FORWARDS

Taylor Hall - Nico Hischier - Kyle Palmieri

Marcus Johansson - Pavel Zacha - Stefan Noesen

Miles Wood - Travis Zajac - John Quenneville

Blake Coleman - Brian Boyle - Jean-Sebastian Dea

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Jason Halstead | Canadian Press via AP

Defensemen

Mirco Mueller - Sami Vatanen

Andy Greene - Damon Severson

Will Butcher - Ben Lovejoy

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Jason Halstead | Canadian Press via AP

GOALIES

Starter: Keith Kinkaid (2017-18 stats: 41 GP, 26-10-3, 2.77 GAA, .913 save percentage)

Backup: Eddie Lack

Kinkaid will get the start in goal to open the Devils' season with Cory Schneider on IR as he continues to rehab from offseason hip surgery. This will be his second career start against the Oilers. He allowed four goals in a loss in 2015-16.

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SCRATCHES

Forward: Drew Stafford (healthy)

Defensemen: Steven Santini (healthy), Eric Gryba (healthy)

On IR: F Jesper Bratt (broken jaw, out 2-3 weeks), G Cory Schneider (hip, practicing)

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GAME NOTES

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Oilers starting lineup vs NJ in 🇸🇪:



RNH-McDavid-Rattie

Lucic-Draisaitl-Yamamoto

Khaira-Strome-Puljujarvi

Rieder-Brodziak-Kassian



Klefbom-Larsson

Nurse-Benning

Russell-Bouchard (NHL debut)



Talbot — Jack Michaels (@EdmontonJack) October 6, 2018

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Preseason carryover

The Devils picked up some traction as the preseason rolled on, winning their final two games as their lineup became closer and closer to the opening-night version of the team. Now that the games actually count, the Devils want to continue improving in October.

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Jason Halstead | Canadian Press via AP

"I think we've some of the speed we've had on this team, some of the skill," forward Travis Zajac said. "We've had our defensemen contribute a lot in the preseason, which is a big help offensively to create some offense. Hopefully we can continue to do that, get the defense involved, and getting everyone contributing this year."

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Chris Ryan | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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Nico vs. McDavid

The top lines for the Devils and Oilers will feature a combined four No. 1 overall picks, with two on each side. Hall and Hischier will lineup together for the Devils, while Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will skate together for the Oilers.

Hischier saw plenty of tough matchups in his rookie season, though he was sheltered at times against some of the elite centers in the NHL.

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Bill Kostroun | AP Photo

"We feel like Nico's come back much stronger, much more experienced. Played 82 games plus postseason last year," Devils coach John Hynes said. "HAs had a real good summer. We're looking forward to — as much as he can — play in that role where he can play against other team's top lines. Not only where he's gong to get checked, but in situations where he's going to have to play against some of the premier players in the league."

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Comparing Hall and McDavid

Speaking of Hall and McDavid, Saturday's game will feature a head-to-head matchup of the NHL's past two Hart Trophy winners, with McDavid winning in 2017 before Hall won in 2018. The two former teammates have played four times since Hall was traded to the Devils in 2016, and the Oilers have won all four games.

The impact both Hall and McDavid have on games in undeniable, and while they have some very similar skills, they go about it in different ways.

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Anthony Anex | Keystone via AP

"They both have the element of speed, where their speed impacts the game, particularly offensively, where they can back teams off," Hynes said. "They're difficult to defend. They make people respect their speed, both players. Connor is very quick, very good off the rush. I think he's a multidimensional player, which is good. Taylor has a little bit more of a power forward role, where he's just a little more abrasive at times in the game. But when you look at the two of them, their ability to impact the game with their speed, their competitiveness, their hockey smarts, was one of the reasons they were both up for the Hart Trophy last year. Difficult players to play against, difficult players to plan for."

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MORE DEVILS COVERAGE

• Bold predictions for the Devils entering 2018-19 | Kyle Palmieri leading team in goals?

• Devils 2018-19 season preview | Expectations, biggest questions, breakout candidate

• Devils place Jesper Bratt on IR, sign Drew Stafford | What it means

• What to expect from Devils' John Quenneville; Sleeper player for 2018-19? | Mailbag

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WHERE TO REACH ME

Chris Ryan may be reached at cryan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisRyan_NJ. Find NJ.com Devils on Facebook.