Devils Face Islanders in First Road Game of Year | PREVIEW

The Devils are taking on the New York Islanders in New Jersey's first road game of the season. Puck drop is 7:30 p.m. ET at UBS Arena. You can watch on MSG or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.

Read below for your game preview and pre-game story.

PRE-GAME STORY

ELMONT, NY - If the Devils are going to end their two-game winless skid tonight against the New York Islanders, they're going to have to do it a few men short. 

"All those guys, including Miller are unavailable," said Devils head coach Lindy Ruff. Tomas Nosek, Erik Haula and Colin Miller are the ones he was talking about with Haula getting hurt last game, Nosek the game before and Miller in practice earlier this week.

"Miller's getting evaluated. Lower body. We should have a timeline in the next few days," Ruff added. 

The Devils haven't played since Monday and while a team on a small winless skid often wants to get back on the ice right away, it was an opportunity for the team to get back to some basics with some lengthy practices. 

"The purpose of the practices was to work on stuff we need to get better at," Ruff stated. "I thought the intensity was good. We've got to bring some of that execution into the games."

Ruff was asked what specifically he was hoping for with the execution. 

"When we're looking at details of the game, some of our details need to be better," he added. "You've got to be able to make the right read. It starts with our defense going back. If we don't make the right play, we're going to spend more time in our own end. The quicker we break out, the more effective as a team we are.

"It's all six, the goalie included. It's the support we get. We've had a lot of passes picked off inside the D zone that's led to extended D zone time."

PREVIEW

DEVILS (1-1-1) vs. ISLANDERS (2-0-0)

Head-to-Head

Friday night’s game is the first of four regular season meetings between the Islanders and Devils this season. The Devils will host the next game on Nov. 28 before traveling back to Long Island for the Mar. 24 matchup. The final game in season series between these teams is the Devils season finale at Prudential Center on Apr. 15.

In the preseason, the Devils beat the Islanders twice, picking up a 6-5 win at home on Oct. 2 and then a 3-0 win at UBS Arena on Oct. 6.

Devils Team Scope:

The Devils are 1-1-1 through their first three games after picking up a 4-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 12 before falling 4-3 in a shootout to the Arizona Coyotes the next night. In the Devils third and final game of a season-opening homestead, the Devils lost 4-3 to the Florida Panthers.

Currently Jack Hughes has picked up right where he left off last season and is leading the Devils in assists (4) and points (6). He is second to Jesper Bratt for goals. Bratt is also starting the season off strong with three goals and five overall points. Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid split games in the latter half of preseason and Devils head coach Lindy Ruff has said many times how important it is to have two goaltenders you can rely on. Vanecek has played two games, with a 1-1 record, a 3.62 goals against average, and a .892 save percentage. Schmid has played one game so far with a 2.77 goals against average and a .909 save percentage.

When it comes to special teams, the Devils power play has made major improvements from last season and is currently the fifth best power play in the league, scoring 31.3% of the time. New Jersey has scored a power play goal in each of their first three games, and a total of five goals on 16 power play opportunities. The Devils penalty kill is a work in progress after allowing at least one power play goal against in each game so far, as their opponents have scored on five of fifteen penalties.

As of Thursday afternoon, Devils head coach Lindy Ruff is unsure if Erik Haula (upper body) or Tomas Nosek (lower-body, day-to-day) will be available to play Friday night. Both were absent from Thursday’s practice.

Islanders Team Scope:

The Islanders are 2-0 to start the season as they host the Devils for the third and final game of their season opening homestead. In New York’s season opener, they beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 before shutting out the Arizona Coyotes Tuesday night, 1-0. Friday’s game is the first half of a back-to-back for the Islanders who will head to Buffalo following the game to play the Sabres Saturday night.

When it comes to team identity, the Islanders are a shutdown team that is physical and very sound defensively. On Thursday, Devils players and Coach Ruff discussed how important it is to take advantage of any opportunities you have against New York since they allow so few. The Islanders are averaging just 21 shots against in their first two games and most recently limited the Coyotes to 14 shots on goal through 60 minutes.

New York is one of eight teams who haven’t allowed a power play goal against, with the Islanders penalty kill coming up big in five penalties through two games. When it comes to the power play, New York has scored one goal through six power play opportunities.

Currently, four players lead the Islanders with one goal a piece: former Devil Kyle Palmieri, Casey Cizikas, Brock Nelson, and Mathew Barzal. Seven players have one assist on the year, and Palmieri and Nelson lead New York with two points each. Ilya Sorokin has played each of the Islanders two games so far. He has a 2-0-0 record with a 1.00 goals against average, and a .952 save percentage.

By the Numbers:

The Islanders shutdown abilities are evident through their first two games as they are tied with the St. Louis Blues for the fewest goals against in the league with 1.00. New York is also the top face-offs team at the moment with a 65.2% face-off win average. Jean-Gabriel Pageau leads the NHL with a 80.8% win rate.

Jack Hughes is one of 11 players tied for third most points in the NHL (6), and one of six players to do so in only three games. Meanwhile, Jesper Bratt is one of 12 players to score multiple power play goals, and one of 10 to score 2.

Injuries:

Devils

Erik Haula (upper-body)

Tomas Nosek (lower-body, day-to-day)

Islanders

Scott Mayfield (lower-body, day-to-day)

-Catherine Bogart, NJD.TV