Offense meets defense at UBS Arena on Monday as the high-volume shooting New Jersey Devils (46-19-8) head to face the stifling goaltending of the New York Islanders (37-28-9).
New Jersey is coming off a high-scoring 5-3 win over the Senators on Saturday. The Devils committed five penalties in the game, though they held Ottawa without a power play goal. Five players found the net for the Devils.
Jack Hughes scored and provided an assist to share the scoring lead with Nico Hischier, who had two assists. MacKenzie Blackwood saved only 25 of 28 shots (.892%) in the win. New York fell 2-0 to the Sabres on Saturday. Semyon Varlamov had a great performance with 33 saves (.970%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The teams have split their two meetings this season, the most recent of which was a 6-4 victory for the Islanders in December. Four players had two points for New York. Four players had two points for New Jersey. Varlamov got the win despite allowing four goals on 29 shots (.862%).
FACING OFF
New Jersey is averaging 3.48 goals per game for the season, fifth in the NHL, and they are taking on an Islanders team that is allowing 2.70 goals a game (6th).
Meanwhile, New York has found the net 2.96 times a game on average, 22nd in the league, and the Devils are holding opponents to 2.70 goals per game (5th).
New Jersey averages more shots/game (34.5) than most teams in the league, ranking fourth. New York has proven to be one of the league’s better shot-stopping teams, ranking No. 2 with a team save percentage of .920%.
The Islanders’ 16.10% power play percentage is the fourth-worst in the league, while the Devils rank 17th with a conversion rate of 20.79%. When it comes to defending power plays, New Jersey has the league’s ninth-ranked PK% at 82.38%, while New York is 10th at 81.90%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 86 points this season, Hughes is the top skater for the Devils. He is among the league leaders with 40 goals (9th) and has added 46 assists. In the net, Vitek Vanecek (29-9-4) is New Jersey’s top goaltender. He has a 2.49 GAA and a .909% save percentage.
Brock Nelson leads the Islanders in scoring with 67 points. He has 32 goals and 35 assists in 74 games. Ilya Sorokin (26-19-7) is the top goalie for New York with a goals against average of 2.41. He has a save percentage of .922%, third-best in the league.
HOME AND AWAY
New Jersey is 26-6-4 on the road this season. New York is 21-13-3 at home this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
NJ Devils (-130)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
