The New Jersey Devils (22-18-2) take back to the road and begin their four-game road trip, taking on the New York Islanders (23-15-4) Tuesday night on Long Island.
Match Overview
The Devils finally seemed to have things going for them before Sunday night’s disappointment. They had rattled off back-to-back wins, including a third-period comeback in Columbus and an impressive 4-1 win against Utah. However, the performance we saw on Sunday was the Devils we had become accustomed to seeing over the past month.
The team struggled to score while making sloppy mistakes in both the offensive and defensive ends, leading to the 3-1 defeat. Most notably, all three Carolina goals came off crucial mistakes from either goaltender Jake Allen or defenseman Luke Hughes. The loss puts the Devils two points out of a playoff spot, making this divisional meeting against the Islanders even more critical.
The Islanders are one of the teams the Devils are looking to catch. After an impressive first half of the season, the Islanders now sit second in the Metropolitan Division, just three points behind the Hurricanes, however, only two points ahead of the Capitals for the final wild card spot.
New York is coming off a 4-3 victory over Toronto on Saturday. The win was led by an impressive performance from 18-year-old Matthew Schaefer. The 2025 first-overall pick registered two goals, including the overtime winner, to propel the Islanders to a critical two points. However, the Islanders may be without the Calder Trophy favorite against New Jersey. Islanders’ head coach Patrick Roy said that Schaefer has the flu and will be a game-time decision.
This will be the third of four meetings between the two teams this season. Both meetings so far have ended in devastating defeats for the Devils. The Islanders’ 3-2 win in November and 2-1 win in December both featured the Islanders scoring the game-winning goal in either overtime or the final two minutes of regulation. The Devils will need to turn their luck around against the Islanders to pick up a crucial two points.
Lines
Devils
Forwards
Hughes-Hischier-Bratt
Meier-Mercer-Gritsyuk
Palat-Glass-Brown
Lammico-Glendening-Noesen
Defense
Siegenthaler-Hamilton
Hughes-Pesce
Dillon-White
Goalies
Markstrom
Allen
Islanders
Forwards
Lee-Barzal-Heineman
Drouin-Pageau-Holmstrom
Gatcomb-Ritchie-Shabanov
MacLean-Cizikas-Duclair
Defense
Boqvist-Pulock
Pelech-DeAngelo
Mayfield-McWard
Goalies
Sorokin
Rittich
Keys to the Game
Score First
An old problem has flared up again for the Devils. Over this past month or so, New Jersey has been struggling to score first. In their last 16 games, New Jersey has scored first just four times, which has led to them going 6-9-1 in that stretch. New Jersey did score first against the Islanders in each of their last two meetings, however, and will look to do it again.
Sorokin’s Return
After a longer-than-expected six-game absence, the Islanders’ star goalie is expected to return Tuesday night against the Devils. The sixth-year goaltender has been fantastic this year with a .910 save percentage (SV%) and a 14.9 goals saved above expected (GSAx), which ranks him second in the NHL. This will be Sorokin’s second appearance against the Devils this year. The first, coming back in November, saw Sorokin make 32 of 35 possible saves, sending the Islanders to a 3-2 win. New Jersey, which has been struggling to score as of late, will certainly have a hard time solving Sorokin.
Where to Watch
Tuesday night’s game can be seen on ESPN+ or Hulu at 7:30 pm ET.