The Devils are beginning their first half of a back-to-back on the island tonight against the New York Islanders at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Devils are 4-0-1 in their last five.
After going through a rough skid, the Devils have been playing much better, looking like the team they were to open up the season. After losing to the Islanders 4-3 in overtime two weeks ago, the Devils have looked like a much better team, besides one game against the Calgary Flames.
Jacob Markstrom is expected to start in net tonight for the Devils despite having a save percentage of .875% against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night. He was in the starter’s net during the morning skate.
Jack Hughes looks to be returning to his super star self, which would be a huge boost for the Devils if he can maintain the pace of play he is currently at. He had three points, two assists and one goal, against the Canadiens and grabbed the first star of the night.
The line of Palat-Hughes-Bratt has been exceptionally well in recent games. As they have had the chance to build more chemistry, they have gotten better and better.
It seems that every line for the Devils has been clicking well, getting help from each line in every game. The defense has been the best it has seen in years, propelled by the pairing of Jonas Siegenthaler and Johnathan Kovacevic which has been one of the best defensive pairings in the league.
The Devils are expected to run the same lineup as they did against the Canadiens.
Unfortunately for the Islanders, they are without Mat Barzal, Adam Pelech and Anthony Duclair. The Islanders have not had the best start to the season and then were hit with injuries to major players. It is also expected for Mike Reilly to be out of the lineup tonight.
The Devils will most likely face Ilya Sorokin tonight. Sorokin has a save percentage of .921% to start the season and a 2.35 GAA.
The last time these two teams met, the game had to be decided in overtime after Jesper Bratt tied the game late for the Devils. The Islanders ended up winning just a minute into overtime and took home the two points.
The Devils look to make things right and even out the series with a win tonight.
Puckdrop is at 7:30 p.m. ET. Can the Devils make it three wins in a row?
