Bastian Returns, Devils Host Islanders in Preseason Play | PREVIEW

The Devils will host the New York Islanders for a Monday night preseason game. Read below for all your latest news from the morning skate!

PRE-GAME STORY

The New Jersey Devils are back at Prudential Center tonight for their fifth preseason game and second on home ice. Tonight, the Islanders travel to Newark, and the Devils look to remain undefeated in preseason play. 

Bas Comes Back

For the first time this preseason, Nathan Bastian will be in the lineup. It’s something that Bastian marked as a personal goal as he spent the summer rehabbing from shoulder surgery. At the beginning of camp, the 24-year-old was uncertain if he’d be able to play in the preseason, but that will change tonight.

"There definitely can be," Bastian said as to whether a player can experience a mental block, "I feel like I've been fortunate in my own experiences when I get out there, I forget about things. But obviously, it's a major procedure that I went through and spent a lot of time to get it back to where it's at, so is it in the back of my mind somewhere starting off? Yeah, maybe a little bit but with time hopefully that goes away."

The Final Countdown

With just three preseason games left, tonight may be one of the last where certain players who are on the bubble, or players management wants to get another look at, will have the opportunity to make their presence known. Particularly when it comes to the forwards, players like Tyce Thompson and Graeme Clarke who are trying to make a push to be on the opening night roster, and Max Willman, on a tryout with the club, tonight is another opportunity, especially with the group against the Islanders not particularly loaded with forwards who are NHL regulars.

Lindy Ruff shares, it's by design and a two-fold situation:

“Obviously we don’t want to overplay our NHL guys, so those guys are getting a great opportunity to get a lot of looks," he said, "They can use that opportunity to put their mark on where they are with us, where they are if they get sent down. Obviously, if you look at it from a training camp standpoint, it’s a heck of an opportunity to showcase yourself.

We will, however, get another look at the Tyler Toffoli, Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt line that continues to build on their chemistry and rhythm.

60 Minutes

Akira Schmid gets the nod in net and like Vanecek in Philadelphia, he is slated to play the entire 60 minutes, getting in full game reps. Vanecek will back up Schmid.

- Amanda Stein, Lead Reporter, NJD.tv

PREVIEW

DEVILS (4-0-0) vs. ISLANDERS (2-1-0)

Head-to-Head

This is the Devils and Islanders first of two games during preseason, with the second on Long Island Friday night. Last year during preseason, the Devils and Islanders picked up one win each. New Jersey won 4-1 at home while the Islanders won 5-2 at UBS Arena.

During the 2022-23 season, the Devils went 1-2 against the Islanders, with their sole win coming on Oct. 20, 4-1. New York would win 6-4 on Dec. 9 and 5-1 on Mar. 27.

The Devils and Islanders will play four times this season: Oct. 20 at UBS Arena, Nov. 28 at Prudential Center, Mar. 24 at UBS Arena, and Apr. 15 at Prudential Center in the Devils season finale.

Devils Team Scope:

The Devils are 4-0-0 as they enter their final week of preseason. New Jersey’s most recent win was a 3-2 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night. After being stopped on his first two shots, Erik Haula found the back of the net when it mattered the most, with his overtime game winner. Curtis Lazar and Alexander Holtz also scored for the Devils. Vitek Vanecek played the entire game and stopped 29 of the 31 shots he faced.

New Jersey started the preseason with two split squad games on Sept. 25 with half the team in Montreal and the other half hosting the Flyers at home. The home squad picked up a 6-0 win over Philadelphia while the road group won 4-2 against the Canadiens.

Right now, the Devils training camp roster sits at 42 players with 23 forwards, 12 defensemen, and seven goaltenders remaining. New Jersey has three more preseason games ahead of the Oct. 12 home opener.

Islanders Team Scope:

The Islanders are halfway through their preseason and are 2-1-0 through their first three games. After losing to the New York Rangers 4-2 on Sept. 26, the Islanders rebounded the next night with a 2-1 win over the Flyers. In the second matchup between New York teams, the Islanders won 5-3 on Sept. 30. In Saturday night’s game, the Islanders saw five different goal scorers: Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Brock Nelson, Bo Horvat, Cal Clutterbuck, and Anders Lee.

After cutting 21 players on Sept. 29, the Islanders current training camp roster sits at 45 players. New York’s Monday night game against the Devils kicks off their final three preseason games. On Oct. 5 the Islanders will take on the Flyers before facing the Devils at UBS Arena on Oct. 6.

By the Numbers:

11: The Islanders had 11 different players on the score sheet in New York’s last win

6: Shots on goal Brock Nelson had against the Rangers on Sept. 30

16-6: The Devils have outscored their opponents by this margin throughout three preseason games

-Catherine Bogart, NJD.TV