“It’s been fun since I got here, and then obviously Marky came in last year. We just have a good connection—we both understand the way each other think and play the game,” he said. “Sometimes that’s hard to find, especially at this point in our careers. I think we both enjoy each other, so I’m happy he’s sticking around.”
He also sees their shared experience as something that benefits the entire locker room.
“I don’t think I’ve been on a team with two goalies this old,” Allen joked. “But we’re leaders in the group. We need to set an example. A lot of our best players are still our youthful players, so there’s a lot we can instill off the ice too—not just be a stable presence back there.”
Markstrom credited goaltending coach Dave Rogalski for helping him elevate his game even further.
“He’s been great,” Markstrom said. “He flew to Sweden when I got traded just to come out to my hometown, see how I live, and we worked every day on the ice. From there our relationship just built. I appreciate him and I’m thankful for him coming here every day. He puts in a lot of work that no one really sees, and I’m very appreciative of that.”
With both veterans signed and settled, the Devils’ goaltending tandem remains one of the tightest in hockey.
“We’re on the train tracks,” Markstrom said. “We just have to keep pushing, keep moving forward, and keep getting better every day.”