Etem took line rushes with Mason Raymond and Chris Wagner today, so it appears he'll replace Jared Boll in the lineup.
"He's a strong kid on the puck and we'd like to see him get in on the forecheck," Carlyle said of Etem. "He'll bring some speed and energy to our lineup." Carlyle went on to say he and his coaching staff have laid out a game plan for Etem to follow, with the hope that he'll find his niche on this team.
John Gibson will make his second consecutive start in net for Anaheim. Gibson was good in his previous outing, a 27-save effort that unfortunately resulted in a 3-2 overtime defeat to the New York Islanders at Barclays Center on Sunday.
The point earned was a step in the right direction, but the Ducks remain winless through three games and have been exploited on defensive-zone lapses in each contest.
"I don't think we've played well enough to win," said Ryan Getzlaf. "We've had too many lapses throughout the game. When you're talking about this league, you're playing high-end talent and good hockey teams. You have to be able to play for 60 minutes if you expect to win."
It'll be a reunion of sorts tonight at Prudential Center. Ben Lovejoy, Kyle Palmieri and Devante Smith-Pelly are all Devils now, and the club claimed one-time Mighty Ducks draft pick PA Parenteau off waivers a week ago.
Parenteau was a former ninth-round selection of Anaheim in 2001 back when ninth rounds still existed. The 33-year-old has bounced around in his nine-year NHL career, but the late-bloomer had a strong 2015-16 campaign with the Maple Leafs, finishing with 41 points (20g/21a).
The likeable Lovejoy is a Stanley Cup champion now, after winning it for the first time in his career last June with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Hailing from Concord, New Hampshire, the 32-year-old became the first New Hampshire native to win the Stanley Cup. Lovejoy went on to sign a three-year contract with the Devils on July 1.
Ducks fans will also remember Palmieri and Smith-Pelly, whom the club drafted in the first round (2009) and second round (2010), respectively. Palmieri had a breakthrough 2015-16 season, his first with the Devils, when he led the club in scoring with a career-high 30 goals and 57 points. Smith-Pelly, meanwhile, picked up his offensive production after the Devils acquired him from the Montreal Canadiens last February, recording 13 points (8g/5a) in 18 games to end the season.
PROJECTED LINE COMBINATIONS
ANAHEIM
Ritchie-Getzlaf-Silfverberg
Garbutt-Kesler-Sorensen
Cogliano-Vermette-Perry
Etem-Wagner-Raymond
Fowler-Manson
Larsson-Vatanen
Stoner-Bieksa
Gibson
Bernier
NEW JERSEY
Hall-Zajac-Parenteau
Cammalleri-Henrique-Palmieri
Bennett-Zacha-Smith-Pelly
Boucher-Fiddler-Josefson
Greene-Severson
Moore-Lovejoy
Auvitu-Quincey
Schneider
Kinkaid
