Game Preview: Islanders at Devils

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (37-27-16) AT NEW JERSEY DEVILS (38-38-5)

7 PM | PRUDENTIAL CENTER

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The New York Islanders head to Newark to play the New Jersey Devils for a Tri-State showdown on Monday night.

In a hard-fought battle on Saturday afternoon, the Islanders fell 3-2 in a shootout to the New York Rangers, but took home a huge point in the standings. Brock Nelson scored a pair of goals, but after an action-packed scoreless overtime, the Isles were bested in three rounds of a shootout. Ilya Sorokin made 41 saves in his first start since Apr. 4. Although their six-game winning streak came to an end, the Islanders’ point streak reached seven games (6-0-1).

“I like how we’re playing as a team,” Mathew Barzal said. “Everyone is buying in, you see everyone playing a similar style, committing to getting pucks to the net. We just have to keep playing the way we’ve been playing.”

After picking up an important point in the standings, the Islanders remained in control of their own destiny and padded their third-place position in the Metropolitan Division. The Islanders (90 points) are three points clear of the Washington Capitals, Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers (who all have 87 points) and four points ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins (86 points), who they’ll face head-to-head on Wednesday night for the regular season finale for both teams.

The Islanders have another opportunity to clinch a playoff spot on Monday. As the regular season comes down to the wire, Head Coach Patrick Roy is maintaining a one-game-at-a-time mentality with a tough test against the Devils ahead of them.

“The focus is playing a strong game tomorrow and continue to do the things we’ve been doing well,” Patrick Roy said after Sunday’s practice. “We’re playing against a team that is fast and has been playing some good hockey.”

The Islanders trail the season series 0-2-1 this season, most recently getting shut out 4-0 on Mar. 24 at UBS Arena.

POTENTIAL CLINCHING SCENERIOS

The Islanders could clinch third in the Metropolitan Division with a win over the Devils on Monday night.

As far as seeding goes, if the Islanders win and the New York Rangers also beat the Ottawa Senators in any fashion tonight, the top three spots in the Metropolitan Division will be locked, meaning the Islanders will face the Carolina Hurricanes in Round One of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

The Penguins, Capitals and Red Wings are all in action on Monday with 7 p.m. starts. If the Islanders pick up a point in an overtime or shootout loss and the Caps lose to the Boston Bruins, the Isles still clinch third in the Metro. With the one point, they could clinch a playoff spot if either the Capitals or Red Wings lose.

If the Islanders fall in regulation to the Devils, they could still clinch a playoff spot - with some outside help – if two of the following three scenarios play out: the Capitals lose in regulation, the Red Wings lose in regulation or if the Penguins lose in any fashion.

ISLES NOTES

- Noah Dobson (upper-body, day to day) did not practice with the team on Sunday after he missed Saturday’s contest against the Rangers. Dobson leads the team in assists (60), is second in points overall (70) and power-play points (24). He is a game-time decision against the Devils, per Roy.

- Roy revealed that Semyon Varlamov will get the start against the Devils on Monday. Varlamov has been on fire as of late, with a 6-1-0 record in his last seven starts along with a .933 SV% and one shutout. 

- Pierre Engvall has two goals in his last five games, skating on a line with Anders Lee and JG Pageau. Roy is impressed with the increased compete level in the Swedish forward lately. 

“He’s shooting the puck with a lot more confidence, I’m very pleased with this,” Roy said. “The way he’s bringing the puck in, protecting the puck, for Pierre I feel like it’s about his compete level. I know he’s capable of being heavy on pucks, and that’s what we expect from him.” 

- Brock Nelson scored his 31st and 32nd goal this season for his sixth multi-goal game of the season for the Islanders. Nelson’s pair of goals marked 273rd goal of his career, passing John Tavares for seventh all time in franchise history.  

- Kyle Palmieri picked up two assists on Saturday and reached 51 points on the season, recording his fourth 50-point season of his career and first with the Islanders. Palmieri also extended his point streak to five games, with seven points (4G, 3A) over that span. 

- The power play went 0-for-5 on Saturday afternoon and is now 2-for-32 (6.2%) in the last 11 games. 

- Mathew Barzal is expected to play in his 500th NHL game on Monday. Barzal leads the team in points (80) in his seventh full season with the Islanders and set a new career high in goals (23) this season.

DEVILS NOTES

- The Devils dropped a 1-0 decision to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. Travis Konecny scored the lone goal of the contest shorthanded. Kaapo Kahkonen turned aside 20 of 21 shots.

- The Devils (81 points) are seventh in the Metropolitan Division and have been eliminated from playoff contention. They’ll miss the postseason for the fifth time in the last six seasons and 10th time in the last 12 seasons.

- The Devils are without Jack Hughes, who hasn’t played since Apr. 7 and recently underwent shoulder surgery. The 22-year-old is expected to make a full recovery for training camp ahead of the 2024-25 season. Hughes racked up the second-most points for the Devils this season (74) through 62 games played. Hughes racked up nine points (4G, 5A) in three games vs the Isles this season.

- Jesper Bratt is New Jersey's top scorer this season with 82 points (27G, 55A) in his seventh season, while he also leads the team in game-winners (7). His point total shatters a career high of 73, set in the 2021-22 and duplicated in the 2022-23 season.

- Timo Meier is one of four Devils tied for the team lead of 27 goals this season. Meier has the most power play goals (10) in his first full season with New Jersey.

- The Devils are a strong faceoff team, ranking fourth in the NHL in the dot this season (53.6%).