Devils Gameday Preview: Saturday Matinee in D.C.

On Saturday, Oct. 17, the New Jersey Devils are getting ready to take on the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena for the two teams’ first game of the 2026-27 season. The Devils are coming off a strong 7-1 win against another division rival, the New York Rangers, on Thursday, Oct. 15. New Jersey will hope to keep the momentum rolling in this game.

The Capitals just beat the Montreal Canadiens at home on Wednesday, Oct. 14. This win came just a day after Washington fell to the Carolina Hurricanes during the Frozen Frenzy on Tuesday. Both teams have a tally in the win column; each will be trying to extend that to two wins.

Devils Storylines

The Devils held a practice on Friday, ahead of their travel to Washington, D.C. Luke Evangelista missed the last two games due to illness. He was a participant during practice, but head coach Sheldon Keefe announced that he will not be traveling with the team for this game.

Evangelista will miss three straight games, which is a tough blow for the forward, as he was hoping to come onto the Devils this season and make a huge impact. Hopefully, he feels better and well enough to enter the lineup for the Devils’ next contest on Tuesday.

Connor Brown was also a participant in practice for the second straight practice. He missed the start of the season due to injury but now seems to be trending toward returning to the lineup. This is great news for Brown, who was greatly missed in the Devils’ lineup. He is still listed on the injured list for this game, but it’s a good sign that Brown is making good progress.

Cody Glass was absent from practice due to a maintenance day. He is still expected to travel with the team and play against the Capitals. The Devils will need Glass to center the fourth line, especially after his short-handed goal he scored against the Rangers.

My player to watch in this game is Luke Hughes. He had an amazing offensive performance against the Rangers on Thursday, recording his first multi-goal game. Even though he is a defenseman, he will want to help keep this offensive momentum rolling for his team.

Team Stats

New Jersey Devils
Season Record: 4-3-0

Top Scorers:

1. Jack Hughes – 2 goals (G), 7 assists (A), 9 points (P)
2. Jesper Bratt – 2 G, 5 A, 7 P
3. Nico Hischier – 4 G, 1 A, 5 P
4. Luke Hughes – 3 G, 1 A, 4 P
5. Evan Rodrigues – 2 G, 2 A, 4 P

Goalie Stats:

1. Jake Allen – 3-1-0, 2.98 goals-against average (GAA), .885 save percentage (SV%)
2. Nico Daws – 1-2-0, 3.38 GAA, .857 SV%

Washington Capitals
Season record: 4-3-0

Top Scorers:

1. Alex Tuch – 5 G, 1 A, 6 P
2. Ryan Leonard – 2 G, 4 A, 6 P
3. Tom Wilson – 2 G, 3 A, 5 P
4. Dylan Strome – 0 G, 5 A, 5 P
5. Boone Jenner – 3 G, 1 A, 4 P

Goalie Stats:

1. Logan Thompson – 3-2-0, 2.84 GAA, .904 SV%
2. Charlie Lindgren – 1-1-0, 3.06 GAA, .897 SV%

Line Combinations

(Subject to change before puck drop)

New Jersey Devils

Arseny Gritsyuk — Jack Hughes — Jesper Bratt
Timo Meier — Nico Hischier — Dawson Mercer
Anthony Mantha — Evan Rodrigues — Stefan Noesen
Amadeus Lombardi — Cody Glass — Jesper Boqvist

Luke Hughes — Brett Pesce
Jonas Siegenthaler — Dougie Hamilton
Declan Chisholm — Johnathan Kovacevic

Jake Allen
Nico Daws

Scratched: Remi Poirier, Brenden Dillon

Injured: Connor Brown, Nick Bjugstad, Luke Evangelista

Washington Capitals

Alex Tuch — Dylan Strome — Jordan Kyrou
Aliaksei Protas — Boone Jenner — Tom Wilson
Alex Ovechkin — Ilya Protas — Ivan Miroshnichenko
Anthony Beauvillier — Justin Sourdif — Ryan Leonard

Jakob Chychrun — Timothy Liljegren
Martin Fehervary — Vincent Desharnais
Cole Hutson — Justin Holl

Logan Thompson
Charlie Lindgren

Scratched: Ethen Frank, Dylan McIlrath

Injured: Rasmus Sandin, Matt Roy, Pierre-Luc Dubois

Next Up for the Devils

This road trip will be a one-off for the Devils, as they will be back at the Prudential Center on Tuesday, Oct. 20, to host the Colorado Avalanche. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM ET.