The New Jersey Devils finally get the real thing tonight, and the timing could not be better for a team trying to make a statement in its home opener.
Philadelphia arrives at Prudential Center after getting punched in the mouth to start its season, a 7-0 shutout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at home. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin combined for two points in that game, and now the Flyers have to turn around and play again on the back end of a back-to-back. That sets up a tough ask for a team that already has plenty to sort through after opening the year with a result that looked more like a football score than a hockey one.
For the Devils, that means the task is simple: jump on them early and never let up.
New Jersey is not dealing with the same schedule squeeze. The Devils have had time to reset, and with no back-to-back pressure hanging over them, there’s no excuse not to come out flying in front of their own crowd. Even with injuries already beginning to pile up - three in the preseason, plus Connor Brown expected to miss at least the first two games - there’s still enough depth here for the Devils to set the tone and make Philadelphia work all night.
The model for how this team should look is pretty clear. The preseason game against the Islanders, when mostly regular players were in the lineup, was the one that really showed what this group can do when it’s clicking.
That was a much stronger showing than the earlier preseason outing that was too close for comfort against, basically, the Hartford Wolf Pack. If the Devils bring the same energy and control they showed against the Islanders, they should be in good shape.
There’s also the possibility that Flyers backup goalie Joseph Woll gets the start tonight. If that happens, the Devils need to make life miserable for him. This group has had a frustrating habit of helping backup goalies look like stars, and game one is as good a time as any to put that trend to bed.
A strong start to 2026-27 would mean a lot for a Devils team that, based on the season preview predictions, has plenty riding on it. The pieces are there.
Now it comes down to execution. Tonight is the first chance to show whether this group is ready to turn that potential into results.
In Other News...
Dawson Mercer Enters A Critical Devils Season For One Big Reason
The Devils spent the offseason reshaping their forward group, and the ripple effects have landed squarely on Dawson Mercer. With additions such as Anthony Mantha and Luke Evangelista changing the depth chart, Mercer is no longer being viewed through the lens of the breakout 2022-23 season that raised expectations around him. Instead, he enters this year in the bottom six, a different kind of assignment for a player whose value once seemed to be trending steadily upward.
That shift gives Mercer a chance to prove he can still matter even without the same offensive runway. He is expected to skate with Arseny Gritsyuk and Evan Rodrigues, a lineup spot that could help stabilize his game and show the Devils he can contribute in a lesser role. If the production does not rebound, though, the questions around his long-term fit in New Jersey are only going to get louder. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Face A Costly Long Term Test As Cap Space Climbs
Rising NHL salary caps are changing the math for clubs everywhere, and the Devils are no exception. With more room across the league, New Jersey is staring at a roster picture where pending unrestricted and restricted free agents could all see their next deals climb, especially as the team weighs younger pieces against veterans who have already carved out roles in the lineup.
Cody Glass, Declan Chisholm, Jonas Seigenthaler, Anthony Mantha, Dawson Mercer and Amadeus Lombardi all fit somewhere in that conversation, whether as current contributors or players who could matter more down the road. Sunny Mehta and the front office now have to balance those rising contract expectations against the need to keep the cap flexible, which makes the next stretch of negotiations a potentially expensive test of how the Devils want this roster to look long term. [Read more 🡒]
Devils May Have One Early Problem With This Revamped Lineup
The Devils are heading into the season with a noticeably different look after a busy offseason that brought in Anthony Mantha, Luke Evangelista, Evan Rodrigues, Amadeus Lombardi, Jesper Boqvist and defenseman Declan Chisholm, while Simon Nemec and Jacob Markstrom are gone. Even with all that turnover, the bigger short-term challenge may not be talent so much as timing, because this roster is being built to sort itself out on the fly.
New Jersey also plans to use a three-goalie rotation, and every one of its four forward lines is expected to feature at least one new face. That kind of overhaul can work, but it rarely clicks instantly, and the Devils may need several weeks before the chemistry settles in and the best version of the lineup comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]