Devils Prepare for Islanders Showdown in Season’s First Road Contest

The New Jersey Devils are traveling to Long Island for their inaugural road contest of the 2026‑27 season, following a 3‑2 overtime win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday. They will now meet another Metropolitan Division rival, the New York Islanders, in the Islanders’ home opener.

New York dropped its season‑opening road game 2‑1 to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday. Eager to rebound, the Islanders aim to turn things around before their home fans at UBS Arena and secure a strong start to the campaign.

Devils Storylines

Saturday’s game offers the Devils an early chance to build on the momentum from their opening‑night win and translate Thursday’s strong performance into their first road outing.

A key storyline is the continued development of New Jersey’s top line—Timo Meier, Luke Evangelista, and Nico Hischier. The trio combined well in their debut, generating chances and displaying solid chemistry, even though they remained off the scoresheet. Expect them to seek their first goals versus the Islanders.

Special teams will be a major focus. New Jersey went 0‑for‑4 on the power play versus the Flyers, and although it’s early, improving man‑advantage conversion will be a priority Saturday. The Devils showed promising zone entries, shot volume, and puck movement, but failed to finish.

Team Stats

New Jersey Devils

Season Record: 1-0-0

Goalie Stats:

Jake Allen posted a 1‑0‑1 record with a 1.89 GAA and a .920 save percentage.

New York Islanders

Season Record: 0-1-0

Goalie Stats:

Ilya Sorokin posted a 0‑1‑0 record with a 2.07 GAA and a .923 save percentage.

Projected Lineup

(Subject to change before puck drop)

New Jersey Devils

• Timo Meier — Nico Hischier — Luke Evangelista
• Anthony Mantha — Jack Hughes — Jesper Bratt
• Arseny Gritsyuk — Evan Rodrigues — Dawson Mercer
• Amadeus Lombardi — Cody Glass — Stefan Noesen

• Luke Hughes — Brett Pesce
• Jonas Siegenthaler — Dougie Hamilton
• Brenden Dillon — Declan Chisholm

• Scratched: Jesper Boqvist, Remi Poirier
• Injured: Johnathan Kovacevic, Connor Brown

New York Islanders

• Simon Holmstrom Emil Heineman — Bo Horvat — Kyle Palmieri
• Victor Eklund — Calum Ritchie — Brayden Schenn
• Simon Holmstrom — Jean-Gabriel Pageau — Anthony Duclair
• Ondrej Palat — Casey Cizikas — Matias Maccelli

• Adam Pelech — Matthew Schaefer
• Alexendar Romanov — Ryan Pulock
• Logan Stanley — Tony DeAngelo

• Ilya Sorokin
• Semyon Varlamov

• Scratched: Kyle MacLean, Scott Mayfield, Matthew Kessel
• Injured: Mathew Barzal

Next Up for the Devils

Following the road contest, New Jersey returns home for a three‑game homestand that opens Tuesday versus the Utah Mammoth at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Devils will then host the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, October 10, for a 3:30 p.m. ET matinee.

Source link