The New Jersey Devils are putting together a lineup for the Colorado Avalanche, one of the best teams in the NHL. They did just come off a loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, the worst team in the league to start the season, but this is a team that should not be taken lightly.
Luckily for the Devils, they are getting some reinforcements back. Luke Evangelista was out for a few games with an illness, but he is finally healthy and ready to go. He will take back his spot next to Nico Hischier and Timo Meier as he pushes his offense forward.
Also returning to the lineup is Connor Brown, who hasn’t played in the regular season yet, is also back from his preseason injury. He will play on the fourth round to start.
And because the Devils are inserting two players into the lineup, two players have to be left out. And this is a very hard decision for Sheldon Keefe. The most obvious examples have been playing well.
Since coming back up from a short stint in the AHL, Stefan Noesen has been playing well on a change-of-pace line with Evan Rodrigues and Anthony Mantha. Amadeus Lombardi, Jesper Boqvist, and Cody Glass spend much of their time as the best line in the game. Dawson Mercer looked more like himself in the top six and has been making really good defensive plays.
But Keefe has to make a decision, and it was never going to be a perfect one. The perfect decision doesn’t exist, but getting both Evangelista and Brown back into the lineup is important.
The Avalanche are coming off a back-to-back, so inserting them into the lineup is a little bit easier than a normal night against Colorado. Scott Wedgewood, the notorious Devils killer, is expected to be in net.
So, when we saw who was going to be the players forced to sit on Tuesday night, it was surprising.
Here’s your #NJDevils lineup from morning skate ahead of facing the Avalanche.
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) October 20, 2026
Connor Brown season debut.
Evangelista back.
Noesen and Lombardi out.
We’ll see which goalie comes off first, but I imagine it’s Jake Allen tonight. pic.twitter.com/P3IG2v2Rif
Amadeus Lombardi's strong start is not enough to keep him in the lineup
Amadeus Lombardi was very good to start the season, but this decision is probably the easiest the Devils can make. He’s a rookie, and one can make the excuse that his penalties are what has kept him from securing his spot, but it just comes down to what was easiest.
Noesen is still eligible to go down to the AHL without going through waivers again. Again, this is the easy decision.
Keefe said before the game that he had a conversation with Lombardi and that he’s handling the situation well. Lombardi has been better than expected, but the Devils have too many good forwards. While that’s a good thing, someone has to sit. Right now, that’s Lombardi and Noesen.
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