Introduction
After a fun win Tuesday, the New Jersey Devils look to win their third in a row against the New York Islanders. Since starting the year with a couple of losses, the Islanders have a record of 5-1-2. They lost their most recent game against the Minnesota Wild.
Projected Lines
New Jersey Devils’
Check our social media’s for lines later.
New York Islanders’
Forwards:
Lee/Barzal/Bailey
Beauvillier/Nelson/Palmieri
Parise/Pageau/Wahlstrom
Martin/Cizikas/Clutterbuck
Defensemen:
Pelech/Mayfield
Chara/Pulock
Greene/Dobson
Goalies:
Sorokin
Varlamov
What to Watch for:
- Dougie Hamilton is currently third in the NHL in five-on-five Corsi-for percentage (CF%) of any player that has 75 minutes or more of ice time. His defensive pairing with Ryan Graves is first in the NHL in CF% at five-on-five of any pair that’s played 75 or more minutes. It’s clear that he has been fantastic so far this season. The Devils have gone 2-0-1 in their past three games and getting Dougie back could help improve on that. Hopefully he plays tonight.
- With Miles Wood out of the lineup indefinitely, the Devils are going to need some players to step up and take his “energy” role on the team. While there is no one quite like Miles Wood, players such as Michael McLeod, Jimmy Vesey, and Tyce Thompson need to step up. They need to bring the energy similar to how Wood does when he zooms up and down the ice.
- I mentioned the team’s record in recent games, but a big part of that has been getting each goalie healthy. This season Jonathan Bernier and Mackenzie Blackwood have a combined record of 5-1-1, an average save percentage (SV%) of .910, and an average goals saved above expected (GSAE) of 0.9. All other Devils goalies this season have a record of 1-2-1, an average SV% of .878, and an average GSAE of -.42. I like to say that goaltending is the most important position in hockey and I think these stats show it.
All statistics are via. Naturalstattrick, Moneypuck, and CBS Sports.