The New Jersey Devils (21-4-1) and their high-volume offense host the New York Islanders (16-11-0) and their suffocating goaltending at Prudential Center on Friday. New York is coming off a high-scoring 7-4 loss against the Blues on Tuesday.
The Islanders committed only two penalties in the game, holding St. Louis without a power play goal. Four players found the net for the Islanders.
Zach Parise and Noah Dobson both scored and provided an assist to lead the team in scoring. Ilya Sorokin saved only 21 of 26 shots against (.807%) in the loss. New Jersey beat the Blackhawks 3-0 on Tuesday.
Dougie Hamilton, Nico Hischier, and Jesper Bratt each scored once for the Devils. Hamilton added two assists to lead the team in scoring. Vitek Vanecek recorded his first shutout of the season with 24 saves.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Devils won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 4-1 victory in October. Hischier led New Jersey with three points (1G 2A). Anders Lee scored New York’s only goal. MacKenzie Blackwood got the win, saving 16 of 17 shots (.941%).
FACING OFF
New York is averaging 3.19 goals per game for the season, 16th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Devils team that is allowing just 2.19 goals a game (2nd). Meanwhile, New Jersey has found the net 3.69 times a game on average, fourth in the league, and the Islanders are allowing opponents to score 2.70 goals per game (6th).
New Jersey averages more shots/game (35.1) than most teams in the league, ranking third. New York has proven up to the task of stopping shots, ranking No. 2 with a team save percentage of .925%.
The Islanders’ 23.75% power play percentage ranks 13th in the league, while the Devils are 25th with a conversion rate of 19.51%. Both teams are strong at penalty killing, as they are tied for the league’s fifth-highest PK% at 82.14%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Mathew Barzal and Brock Nelson have been the top skaters for the Islanders this season with 28 and 26 points. Barzal is among the league leaders with his 25 assists (5th). In the net, Sorokin (10-7-0) is New York’s top goaltender by goals against average.
He has a 2.17 GAA, third-best in the league, and a .932% save percentage, second-best.Jack Hughes leads the Devils in scoring with 31 points. He has 13 goals and 18 assists in 26 games. Vanecek (11-2-1) has the best goals against average for New Jersey at 2.24, fourth-best in the league. He has a save percentage of .918%.
HOME AND AWAY
New York is 7-6-0 on the road this season. New Jersey is 10-3-1 at Prudential Center this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
NY Islanders (+180)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
