Devils Win Preseason Finale Against Islanders | GAME STORY

ELMONT, N.Y. - Arseny Gritsyuk scored 42 seconds into the second period and Luke Evangelista followed 19 seconds later, helping lift the Devils to a 4-1 victory over the Islanders in their final preseason game.

"It was good to get a win like that, make some plays and gel with the line mates, find one on the power play, that was important too, kind of connect there, build some chemistry," Evangelista said. "It was a pretty good night all around."

For the first time this preseason, the Devils had their full lineup on the ice together, offering an early glimpse of what the group can look like when the games start to count.

Evangelista opened the scoring in the first period on the power play and added another in the second for a two-goal night.

Gritsyuk then doubled the lead 42 seconds into the second period before Evangelista struck again just 19 seconds later. Dougie Hamilton extended the advantage to 4-0, sneaking in low and snapping a shot past Ilya Sorokin.

"It was a good way to finish,” Jake Allen said, “A lot of really good stuff in the first two (periods), playing with pace playing with urgency, pucks on and off our stick really quickly. It was really good to see from my end, no question."

Now, it’s on to the real thing.

The Devils have a few more days to prepare before opening night on Oct. 1, when they’ll host the Philadelphia Flyers at Prudential Center.

Simon Holmstrom scored for the Islanders late in the third period to break the shutout.

Here are some observations from the game:

• Through the opening two periods, the Devils played the North/South game they’ve been looking to establish, moving the puck up the ice with pace and letting the simplicity and speed of their game dictate.

The third period wasn't quite as smooth. The Devils spent much more time on their heels as the Islanders, trailing by four, made the push you’d expect from a team trying to fight its way back into the game.

For Rodrigues, who is still getting to know his new team, the contrast between the first 40 minutes and the final 20 stood out.

"Our first two periods were great," Rodrigues said. "I thought we played fast, we went North when we got the puck, we didn’t try to be too cute or make too many pretty plays and that’s what’s going to make us successful as a team. I thought the third, it got a little too cute and didn’t play the same game we did in the first two.”

• Luke Evangelista's first preseason goal came from the slot on the power play and a good example of why his right-handed shot is so valuable on that unit. The Devils have put him there with the expectation that he can be a shooter, someone who can find space, get the puck off his stick and make teams pay when the opportunity is there.

Evangelista showed why he’s such a complementary piece on the first unit alongside Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt and Luke Hughes. There was constant movement, with no one staying static as the group cycled the puck, changed positions and forced the opposition to chase.

"Those guys have been playing together for years, on that power play together for years,” Evangelista said. “They’ve got such good chemistry and when they start circling around, they’ve got such good motion, and they make so many plays. I feel like for me in that bumper and net front I’m just trying to find lanes for them, get my stick in those little soft spots to find me, kind of like what you saw tonight.”

That movement eventually opened up the perfect look. Evangelista found a shooting lane with Hischier providing a screen in front of Ilya Sorokin, and he snapped the puck past the Islanders goaltender for the 1-0 lead. 

• There wasn’t a ton of work for Jake Allen in his only full game of the preseason, with the Devils limiting the Islanders to just nine shots through two periods and made 14 saves on 15 shots over 60 minutes. It was a strong showing from a group that stayed committed to its defensive structure while still recognizing opportunities to push for offense when they presented themselves.

• If you took a look at the boxscore during the game, you might have noticed some anomalies... like Devils prospect Alexander Command in the lineup wearing No. 17. This was most definitely a data error, of course, with Command nowhere near Long Island at the moment. He’s still with his SHL team, Örebro HK, where he’s played three games so far this season.

It's Evan Rodrigues who now wears No. 17 for New Jersey, and he, not Command, picked up two assists against the Islanders. His second assist was a full-line effort between Rodrigues, Dawson Mercer and Gritsyuk. Rodrigues and Mercer worked a quick one-touch exchange to spring Gritsyuk, who showed no signs of rust from his shoulder that he spent the summer rehabing, ripping a vintage snipe past Sorokin.