Devils vs Islanders Prediction
The New Jersey Devils will play the New York Islanders on Friday night at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. New Jersey has lost two games in a row, while New York has won two games in a row and is undefeated so far this year.
Devils Preview
The New Jersey Devils are 1-1-1 this year after they lost to the Florida Panthers by a score of 4-3 in their last game. New Jersey trailed 4-0 in the third period, but they did get three late goals to make it a game. The Devils out shot Florida by a total of 34-30 and went 2-5 on the power play in the loss. New Jersey opened their season with a win against Detroit, but they lost to Arizona in overtime in their second game. The New Jersey Devils are scoring 3.33 goals per game and they are allowing 3.33 goals against per game, while going 31.3% on the power play and 66.7% on the penalty kill. Jack Hughes has led the Devils with two goals, four assists, and 16 shots on goal this year. The projected starting goalie for New Jersey is Vitek Vanecek, who is 1-1-0 this season with a 3.62 goals against average and a .909 save percentage.
Islanders Preview
The New York Islanders are 2-0-0 this season after they defeated the Arizona Coyotes by a score of 1-0 in their last game. New York scored the only goal of the game in the second period and they were able to get the shutout win. The Islanders out shot Arizona by a total of 34-14 and went 1-3 on the power play in the game. New York defeated the Sabres by a score of 3-2 in their season opener. The New York Islanders offense is scoring 2.00 goals per game and they are allowing 1.00 goal against per game, while going 16.7% on the power play and 100% on the penalty kill. Brock Nelson has led the Islanders this year with one goal, one assist, and seven shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for New York is Ilya Sorokin, who is 2-0-0 this year with a 1.00 goal against average and a .952 save percentage.
Matchup/League Facts
The New Jersey Devils ranks T3rd in the league for goals in Period 3 per game this season (1.67).
The New Jersey Devils ranks T3rd in the league for power play goals this season (5).
The New Jersey Devils ranks T4th in the league for goals in Period 2 per game this season (1.67).
The New York Islanders ranks T1st in the league for opponent goals in Period 2 per game this season (0.50).
The New York Islanders ranks T1st in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (100.00%).
The New York Islanders ranks 1st in the league for shots against per game this season (21.0).
Pick
The Islanders come into this game looking for their third straight win to start the season and they have played good defense in their first two games. New Jersey has lost two games in a row, both by a score of 4-3. New Jersey has started the season a little slow, but they should be one of the better offensive teams this season. New York has one of the best goalies in the league and Sorokin has started both games. I think this is a spot where New York can find a little bit of offensive success, as the Devils have allowed a good amount of scoring chances. Take the Islanders here.
