The New Jersey Devils came out of Tuesday night’s 5-3 loss to the Utah Mammoth with more than just another defeat on the ledger. They also got a reminder of what Luke Evangelista can bring when the offense needs a jolt.
The 24-year-old winger scored twice, and both goals came the same way: by going to the net, getting a stick on the puck and turning traffic into production. In a game where the Devils spent most of the night chasing and looked like the lesser team, Evangelista’s presence was the one thing that kept them from slipping away completely.
That mattered because New Jersey badly needed something positive after back-to-back losses in which it was outscored 11-3. Evangelista has already started to look like that kind of answer. He was brought in to help drive offense, but early on he’s showing he can do more than that.
What stands out first is how hard he plays. Evangelista competes on the wing, hunts pucks and skates with purpose, which is not always a given for a skilled winger. That edge fits with the kind of hockey he learned with the London Knights under Dale Hunter, where young players have to earn everything.
Players who come through London tend to bring that same work rate, and Evangelista is showing it now. He’s willing to go to the rough spots, even when it means taking contact near the crease. He got into shooting lanes, attacked the net and nearly came away with a hat trick when a second-chance try hit the post late in the third period.
“The mentality today is: get traffic, get sticks in there, be greasy in front of the net. That's where you want to score goals, that's where you've got to go, and just try and be greasy down there,” Evangelista noted after the game.
That kind of detail is exactly what the Devils have needed. When they acquired him, the expectation was that he’d help as a playmaker. He still has that element, but he’s also bringing finishing ability, whether it comes from a shot or from working around the crease.
Through three games, New Jersey has had trouble getting much going beyond two lines. Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt have not found their rhythm yet, and the defense has given up multiple goals in each of the past two games. Against that backdrop, Evangelista has stood out as one of the team’s most reliable performers.
His value is not limited to Tuesday night, either. He was also part of the opening-night win over the Philadelphia Flyers, a result that looks less impressive now with the Flyers looking like arguably the worst team in hockey, certainly one of them. Even so, Evangelista has already done enough to show he can matter for this group.
The Devils are built around Jack Hughes and Hischier, and the team’s results usually rise and fall with those two. Hischier, in particular, has not been at his best early on, and that has been part of the slow start.
Eventually, New Jersey should settle in and become a dangerous team, maybe even one of the stronger ones in the Eastern Conference. When that happens, Evangelista looks like the kind of forward who will be right in the middle of it - not the face of the surge, but a key piece of it.
That is what makes the early returns so encouraging. General manager Sunny Mehta made the move to acquire Evangelista and extended him before he played a game for the Devils. So far, that bet is looking like a good one.
In Other News...
Devils Have An Early Weakness Keefe Cant Ignore
The Devils early season has already shown a familiar stress point, and it is not hard to spot why Sheldon Keefe is paying close attention. New Jersey has been giving up too many goals in bunches, including recent games against the Islanders and Utah Mammoth, and the issue has quickly moved beyond a one-off bad night. Keefe has pointed to defensive habits and the little details in front of the net, the kind of breakdowns that can make a game feel much harder than it should.
Penalty killing has also been part of the concern, which only adds to the urgency as the schedule keeps moving. The Devils are working to clean up those issues before they harden into something bigger, because early defensive slippage can linger if it is not addressed quickly. For a team trying to establish its identity, the next few games will say plenty about whether this is just a rough patch or a problem that needs more than a few corrections. [Read more 🡒]
ESPN Just Gave Devils Fans Another Reason To Defend Nico Hischier
ESPNs latest ranking of the NHLs top 100 players for the 2026-27 season gave Devils fans another familiar debate to pick at, with Nico Hischier landing 54th after being placed 23rd in the previous version. For a player who has become the face of New Jerseys leadership group and one of the steadier two-way centers in the league, the slide raised eyebrows well beyond Newark, especially given the way the list is framed as a look ahead rather than a simple recap of last season.
The comparison points make the ranking even harder to square. Aleksander Barkov, who missed the entire prior season, was placed ahead of Hischier, while Connor Bedard came in at 43rd despite an expected injury absence early in the year. For Devils fans, it is the kind of list that invites an instant defensive reaction, because Hischiers value has never been tied to flash alone, and the gap between reputation, production and outside perception still seems to be widening. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Loss Exposed A Roster Problem Fans Cant Ignore
The loss to the Utah Mammoth put a familiar Devils issue back in the spotlight: once the top six stop driving play, the offense can run dry in a hurry. Sheldon Keefe pointed to the gap in talent and scoring support beyond Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and the rest of the clubs best forwards, a problem that has lingered whenever the top group is quiet or dealing with injury.
For a while, New Jersey could lean on speed as a separator, but that edge has narrowed as more teams around the league have caught up. With that in mind, management has already started looking for ways to rework the roster, and Sunny Mehtas group now faces a clear test of whether it can add the kind of depth that keeps the Devils dangerous even when the stars are not carrying everything. [Read more 🡒]