Introduction
The New Jersey Devils came into last night’s matchup with a 4-1-0 preseason record. After a nice shutout win against the Boston Bruins, they saw the streak come to an end against the New York Islanders. The Devils rolled into Long Island with momentum and left town with a 5-2 loss.
Some notable regulars were held out of the lineup. But both goaltenders were dressed. The Devils’ goaltending has been a bright spot in preseason play, though last night that was not the case.
Game Summary
The first period saw each team go back and forth on the scoreboard. The Devils got the party started. Halfway through the opening frame, Ryan Graves opened the scoring. After Damon Severson flashed his silky mitts at the blue line, he slid the puck over to who ripped a shot from the top of the faceoff circle.
It was all Islanders from there. With under four minutes left in the first period, the Islanders tied things up. After an excellent keep at the blue line from Ryan Pulock, he sprung Mathew Barzal up the middle for the tying goal. Two minutes later, off an odd-man rush, Anthony Beauvillier finds Dobson in the slot for the leading purpose. The Islanders outshot New Jersey 11-9 and even dominated at even strength with a Corsi-for percentage (CF%) of 54.84% per natural stat trick.
The second period saw both teams get on the scoreboard again. On the powerplay, Graeme Clarke picked up his rebound and backhanded a shot past Semyon Varlamov to tie the game. Six minutes later, it was the Islanders who grabbed the lead. Off a shot from the blue line, Ross Johnston deflected the puck past Mackenzie Blackwood. The horn would sound, and for the second period in a row, the Devils found themselves trailing. The Islanders maintained their dominance at even strength during the period.
The third period was all Islanders. They went on to have a whopping 75.00 CF% at even strength. Just two minutes into the third period, Beauvillier got one of his own. Midway through the third period, Aatu Raty finds a loose puck in the slot and fired it past Blackwood. The horn would sound, and the Islanders won the game 5-2..
Wrap Up
The Devils suffered their second defeat of the preseason. It was one of the only games where they got outplayed at even strength. The Devils finished with a CF% of 41.56. Despite the penalty trouble the Islanders got into, the Devils cashed in once. They killed their lone power play chance and were perfect down a man.
The Devils had six players record one point. Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood had his worst outing this preseason allowing five goals and finishing with a save percentage of .808.
Game Notes
- While normally the better team at even strength so far this preseason, the Islanders dominated in that regard. The Islanders finished with a CF% of 58.44%.
- Nikita Okhotiuk struggled mightily in an all-important game for him. Not only did he finish with the worst CF% on the team (29.73), but he finished with a team-worse expected goals-for percentage (xGF%). Just a woeful game for the defenseman trying to win a roster spot.
- Graeme Clarke had a nice game for himself. He led the squad with a 66.67 CF% and had an xGF% of 60.94. He went on to score a goal and led the team in shots on goal with six.
- Mackenzie Blackwood had his worst outing this preseason. He finished with a .808 save percentage and allowed 2.69 goals above expected. Something he was not doing so far in preseason and something he did often last year.
Whats Next?
The New Jersey Devils conclude preseason play Saturday night against the Boston Bruins. Puck drop is at 7:00 P.M. at TD Garden.