Game Preview: Islanders at Devils

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (31-21-5) AT NEW JERSEY DEVILS (28-26-2)

7 PM | PRUDENTIAL CENTER

WATCH/STREAM: MSGSN | GOTHAM SPORTS APP

LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | ISLANDERS + UBS ARENA APP

The New York Islanders head to New Jersey to face the Devils on Thursday night in their final game before the 2026 Winter Olympic Games Milano Cortina commence.

Bo Horvat’s OT goal helped New York top the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4 in overtime on Tuesday night at UBS Arena. Horvat’s overtime winner was part of a three-point game (2G, 1A) while Mathew Barzal (1G, 2A) also contributed three points in the winning effort. Matthew Schaefer (1G, 1A) and Ryan Pulock also scored for the Isles. Ilya Sorokin made 31 saves on 35 shots.

RITCHIE TO RETURN TO LINEUP:

Cal Ritchie will return to the lineup on Thursday, per Head Coach Patrick Roy. The rookie suffered a lower-body injury on Jan. 24 and missed the Islanders last six games as a result. Ritchie is expected to skate between Emil Heineman and Jonathan Drouin and resume his role on the power play. Anthony Duclair will come out of the lineup in a corresponding move.

"For him to play tonight, I think it's a good boost for our team as well," Roy said. "He's been playing really good hockey. It was unfortunate that he got hurt, and it's nice to see him back, and hopefully that he's going to feel comfortable playing with Drouin and Heineman."

Ritchie's return was initially expected after the Olympic break, but the 21-year-old said he felt good after skating over the past few days.

"There's just slow progression each day, and every day I felt a lot better," Ritchie said. "Today's kind of like the first day where I feel like I can actually play, so I'm excited."

The Islanders forward said it was important to him to get a game in before the break to avoid going five weeks without game action, since the Islanders won't play again until Feb. 26. Ritchie has 15 points (7G, 8A) in 40 games this season.

MORNING SKATE LINES:

Ondrej Palat – Bo Horvat – Mathew Barzal
Emil Heineman – Cal Ritchie – Jonathan Drouin
Anders Lee – JG Pageau – Simon Holmstrom
Kyle MacLean – Casey Cizikas – Marc Gatcomb

Matthew Schaefer – Ryan Pulock
Adam Pelech – Tony DeAngelo
Carson Soucy – Scott Mayfield

PENALTY KILLERS

New York’s penalty kill was perfect (two-for-two) for the second straight game on Tuesday night. They blanked the Capitals’ man-advantage on four occasions in the game prior.

The Isles own the eighth-best penalty kill (82.3%) in the NHL this season.

SCHAEFER MILESTONE WATCH

Matthew Schaefer found the back of the net again on Tuesday, as the rookie has goals in three of the Isles last four contests.

Schaefer is up to 16 goals in his first NHL campaign and needs one to tie Phil Housley (17) for the most tallies by an 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history. His next goal will also tie Denis Potvin for the Isles franchise record for goals by a rookie defenseman.

The Islanders standout ranks second on the team with 39 points (16G, 23A) this season.

OVERTIME DOMINANCE

The Isles are a perfect 6-0 in the extra frame this season.

“When you start me, [Matthew Schaefer] and Bo [Horvat] I think there is so much offense out there for us to score,” Barzal said.. “And I think we just have a lot of smart players.”

In addition to Tuesday’s OT win over the Penguins, the other five teams the Isles knocked off in overtime this season were the Devils, Vegas Golden Knights, Utah Mammoth, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Minnesota Wild.

SEASON SERIES AND STANDINGS IMPLICATIONS

This is the fourth and final regular season meeting between the Islanders and Devils this year. The Isles are looking to sweep the season series for the first time since the 2018-19 season.

The Isles are 3-0-0 against the Devils this season, scoring a 3-2 OT win on Nov. 10 in Jersey, a 2-1 win on Dec. 23 on Long Island and most recently a 9-0 win on Jan. 6.

The Islanders sit third in the Metropolitan Division with 67 points, two points up on the Columbus Blue Jackets (65 points) while the Devils have fallen to seventh with 58 points.

DEVILS NOTES

The Devils are coming off two consecutive defeats, with the most recent being a 3-0 shutout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Devils have slipped as of late and dropped four of their last five games.

New Jersey acquired forward Nick Bjugstad from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for forward Thomas Bordeleau and a 2026 conditional fourth-round pick. Bjugstad, a veteran of 795 NHL games, has seven points (6G, 1A) in 35 games with the Blues this season.

Nico Hischier leads New Jersey in goals (18) and points (41) this season. He is two goals away from notching the sixth 20-goal season of his career.

Devils' rookie Arseny Gritsyuk has found some rhythm lately. The 24-year-old Russian winger has earned points in four of his last seven games, with five points (1G, 4A) in that stretch. Gritsyuk has climbed to seventh on the team with 23 points (9G, 14A) in 52 games this season.

Jack Hughes (lower-body) will not suit up against the Islanders on Thursday night. The Devils forward suffered the injury on Jan. 29 against the Nashville Predators. Hughes had points in eight of his last 10 games prior to the injury. He ranks third on the Devils with 36 points (12G, 24A) in 36 games this season and is expected to represent Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games Milano Cortina next week.

Luke Hughes (shoulder, LTIR) will also miss Thursday’s contest. Hughes was placed on Long-Term Injured Reserve on Jan. 21. He has 13 hits, 39 blocked shots, 18 takeaways and leads all Devils defensemen with 26 points (5G, 21A) this season.

The Devils penalty kill (78.5%) ranks 18th in the NHL, but they’ve soared to fourth at 86.1% since the turn of the calendar year. New Jersey has allowed one power-play goal in one of their last nine games.