David Quinn stayed with the same starting goaltender, Igor Shesterkin, against the Devils on Sunday night but made two changes in the lineup from Friday’s game, inserting defenseman Brendan Smith for Jack Johnson and activating right wing Colin Blackwell off the practice squad and putting him in for Brendan Lemieux.
Smith played in the second and third games of the season, when Quinn sat out Tony DeAngelo as punishment for a bad penalty he had taken in the season opener against the Islanders. When DeAngelo returned to the lineup Friday, Smith was scratched to make room. It was a combination of Quinn wanting to get Smith (one assist, plus-4 in his two games) back in, as well as being disappointed with Johnson Friday night.