Connor Brown scored the go-ahead goal on a breakaway in the third period to give the New Jersey Devils a 2-1 win against the New York Islanders at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Sunday.
It was the preseason opener for each team.
Brown gave the Devils a 2-1 lead at 7:53, capitalizing on a turnover by Marshall Warren at New Jersey’s blue line before skating in alone and sending a wrist shot past Vitek Vanecek.
David Rittich, who signed a one-year contract with the Devils on July 3, made 21 saves against his former team, including 12 in the first period. He was 14-10-3 with a 2.76 goals-against average, .894 save percentage and two shutouts in 30 games (28 starts) for the Islanders last season.
Cole Eiserman scored, and Vanecek made 20 saves in his Islanders debut after signing a one-year contract July 1.
Eiserman, a first-round pick (No. 20) at the 2024 NHL Draft, gave New York a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal 55 seconds into the second period. He ripped a one-timer from just beyond the right face-off dot past Rittich after a feed from Vladimir Dravecky during a 4-on-3 advantage.
Ryan Schmelzer tied it 1-1 at 3:59 off the rush, taking a pass from Ben Steeves and flipping a shot over Vanecek’s glove.
