The New Jersey Devils are set to begin their 2026-27 campaign tonight, hosting the Philadelphia Flyers in their home opener. The squad closed out preseason Saturday with a 4-1 victory over the New York Islanders.
Philadelphia opened its season on the road Wednesday, falling 7-0 to Pittsburgh. The Flyers will look to secure their first win and goal of the year against New Jersey.
Devils Storylines
Evan Rodrigues makes his Devils regular-season debut tonight. The forward was acquired in the offseason trade that sent Jacob Markstrom to Florida, alongside Ben Steeves and Jesper Boqvist.
Rodrigues will center the third line with Arseny Gritsyuk and Dawson Mercer. Gritsyuk returns fully healthy after missing time at the end of last season, while Mercer aims to extend his franchise ironman streak after surpassing Travis Zajac in consecutive games played.
Sheldon Keefe announced that Boqvist will sit out as a healthy scratch, with Stefan Noesen moving to the fourth line. Boqvist returns to New Jersey after three seasons with Boston and Florida. Steeves will begin the year with AHL affiliate Utica.
Luke Evangelista also debuts tonight after the Devils acquired him from Nashville for two 2028 draft picks on Sept. 1. He is expected to join Timo Meier and Nico Hischier on the top line, looking to build on his career-high 56 points last season.
Amadeus Lombardi will make his NHL debut tonight. New Jersey acquired the 23-year-old forward from Detroit in June for a 2026 fourth-round pick. Lombardi spent the last three seasons with Grand Rapids, tallying 42 points (16 goals, 26 assists) in 47 games.
With Lombardi making his debut, all eyes will be on the rookie. However, for the home opener, Jesper Bratt is the predicted scorer of the Devils’ first goal of the season.
Team Stats
New Jersey Devils:
Season Record: 0-0-0
Philadelphia Flyers:
Season Record: 0-1-0
Projected Lineup
(Subject to change before puck drop)
Philadelphia Flyers
Owen Tippett — Trevor Zegras — Porter Martone
Tyson Forester — Christian Dvorak — Travis Konecny
Alex Bump — Noah Cates — Matvei Michkov
Carl Grundstrom — Sean Couturier — Noel Acciari
Travis Sanheim — Rasmus Ristolainen
Cam York — Jamie Drysdale
Nick Seeler — Simon Benoit
Joseph Woll
Dan Vladar
Scratched: Garrett Wilson, David Jiricek
Injured: Denver Barkey, Nikita Grebenkin
New Jersey Devils
Timo Meier — Nico Hischier — Luke Evangelista
Anthony Mantha — Jack Hughes — Jesper Bratt
Arseny Gritsyuk — Evan Rodrigues — Dawson Mercer
Amadeus Lombardi — Cody Glass — Stefan Noesen
Luke Hughes — Brett Pesce
Jonas Siegenthaler — Dougie Hamilton
Brenden Dillon — Declan Chisholm
Jake Allen
Nico Daws
Scratched: Johnathan Kovacevic, Remi Poirier
Injured: Johnathan Kovacevic, Connor Brown
Next Up for the Devils
After tonight’s opener, the Devils travel to face the New York Islanders on Saturday, Oct. 3, with puck drop at 7:30 PM ET. They return home Tuesday, Oct. 6, to host the Utah Mammoth.
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