Tuesday night, The Devils won their first preseason game at home over the New York Islanders, 6-2. The power play struck three times as they held the Islanders to just 15 shots on goal. This is New Jersey’s first win of the preseason slate, after dropping their first game, against the New York Rangers, on Sunday.
Match Overview
First Period
The Devils came out firing to start the opening frame, putting 14 consecutive shots on Islanders goaltender Marcus Hogberg. However, it wasn’t until the Devils’ power play got to work that they found the back of the net. Jack Hughes sent a beautiful cross-ice pass to Dougie Hamilton, who finished it off with his iconic one timer to give the Devils their first lead this preseason. The Islanders soon responded with a power play goal of their own. Emil Heineman got open between the circles and put one by Jacob Markstrom to tie the game on the Islanders first shot on goal nearly 16 minutes in.
The rest of the opening frame was all Devils, as they outshot the islanders 15-3. Jacob Markstrom made just two saves in his first look this preseason, as he was removed after the game’s first period in a pre-planned move.
Second Period
As Georgi Romanov came in to relieve Markstrom, the Devils continued firing on all cylinders to begin the second. An early penalty sent the Devils power play back to work, and it didn’t take long for them to convert again. Jesper Bratt found Nico Hischier with a no-look pass to give the Devils back the lead. They didn’t stop there, as Connor Brown buried his first goal in a Devils uniform on a perfectly placed shot to extend the lead to 3-1. Then, just a minute later, Dawson Mercer fired one home against freshly installed Islanders goalie, Tristan, Lennox to make it 4-1. That was the score after two period of play, as the Devils outshoot New York 32-9.
Third Period
The Devils dominance continued into the third as just five minutes in, Ethan Edwards, who has been impressive all preseason, took a centering feed from Luke Glendening and barley snuck one by Lennox. The Devils final goal came from Evgenii Dadonov who buried his first as a Devil and the teams third power play goal of the night. The Islanders got one more goal from top prospect Calum Ritchie on a 5-on-3. However, it was too little too late for a comeback as the Devils defeated the Islanders 6-2.
Game Notes
Relax Everyone
While this win was a dominant one, it should be taken with a grain of salt. The team New York iced Tuesday night did not include most of their top guys, including star forwards Mat Barzal and Bo Horvat. The lineup was built out of mostly AHL players and fourth-liners while the Devils played almost their entire NHL roster. So, while the win is nice, expectations should have been high to start.
The Pretty Power Play
Last year, the Devils’ power play ranked third in the entire NHL clicking at a 28.2% success rate. So far, this preseason, it seems like the Devils are destined to repeat that success. After going 2-for-6 on the power play Sunday against the Rangers, the Devils went 3-for-4 Tuesday night. New Jersey scored three or more power play goals in five games last year.
Despite being without Jack Hughes for the back half of the season they were still able to convert at 25% after March 2. Now, with him back in the lineup, the Devils look to post one of the leagues most potent -power play units.
The New Guys Showing off
Newly acquired Devils Connor Brown and Evgenii Dadonov made their Devils debut Tuesday night. The two free agent acquisitions both made stellar first impressions with the team, as they each found the back of the net. Not only that but the team dominated play with them on the ice. Brown put up a Corsi-for percentage (CF%) of 75.00 while Dadonov had a CF% of 73.68.
Depth scoring was a huge issue for the Devils down the stretch last year and in the postseason, and this was a great start to fixing that issue.
What’s Next
The Devils next preseason game will be a rematch against the Islanders at UBS Arena. The game is Friday at 7:00 pm ET.