THE SCOOP
The Devils have hit a little snag in their season. After a hot start that saw the club open the year 4-1-0, the Devils are 1-3-1 in their past five games. The team is coming off three straight setbacks.
The Devils defense did get a boost in Detroit on Thursday night with the return of Luke Hughes (shoulder) and Brett Pesce (ankle). However, the move wasn’t enough to stop some of the slide.
The Islanders had their three-game point streak (2-0-1) snapped by Detroit. Mostly by Red Wings goalie Alex Lyon who posted a 30-save shutout in a 1-0 victory. The Isles surrendered just 11 shots against in the losing effort.
A good sign for the Islanders this year is that goalie Ilya Sorokin is back to his Vezina-winning form. He has a 1.34 goals-against average and .947 save percentage in the opening three games of the season. Last year he posted a 3.01 and .909 – both career lows. The offense still boasts talents like Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat, Anders Lee, Brock Nelson and Oliver Wahlstrom. Noah Dobson leads the backend with long-timers Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech.
The Islanders announced that forward Anthony Duclair, a key off-season signing, will miss 4-6 weeks with a lower-body injury.
WHO’S HOT
Devils: Captain Nico Hischier continued his strong play with two goals at Detroit. He has nine points (6g-3a) in seven games.
Islanders: Goalie Ilya Sorokin has given up just four goals in three games this season.
INJURIES
Devils: Hatakka (upper-body).
Islanders: Duclair (lower-body)
REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS
- Oct. 25 vs. NY Islanders
- Nov. 9 at NY Islanders
- April 13 vs. NY Islanders
