3 Takeaways: Islanders Lose 6-5 in Fourth Preseason Game to the Devils 

In a high-scoring matchup between Metropolitan Division rivals, the New York Islanders were outgunned by the New Jersey Devils 6-5 on Monday night at Prudential Center, dropping their preseason record to 2-2-0.

Mathew Barzal (2G, 1A), Brock Nelson, Pierre Engvall (1G, 1A) and Anders Lee scored for the Islanders, but it was not enough to counter a multi-point games from Jesper Bratt (3G, 1A), John Marino (2G, 1A) and Jack Hughes (1G, 1A) who powered the offense for the Devils and lifted New Jersey to a 5-0 record in the preseason.

"I just didn't think we had enough structure tonight in certain areas through the neutral zone and in our defensive zone," Head Coach Lane Lambert said. "Some of their top players made some pretty nice plays and we allowed them to make those plays. They're good players and we have to be better."

Ilya Sorokin saw 40 minutes of action between the pipes and stopped 13-of-18 shots faced in an off-and-uncharacteristic night for the Russian netminder, while Ken Appleby turned away four of five shots in the final frame. Akira Schmid played the full 60 minutes for the Devils, earning the win with 12 saves on 17 shots.

ISLANDERS SLIP IN THE SECOND

The Islanders jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, but the second period proved to be the turning point in the game, as the Devils revved up offensively as the Islanders allowed four goals in middle 20 minutes.

William Dufour took a penalty early in the second period for cross-checking Tyler Toffoli. With the Islanders shorthanded, Bratt capitalized on the power play and fired off a one-timer from the right circle to tie the game at two apiece. Bratt struck again 1:40 later, moving in on Sorokin and sneaking the puck past him to capture the first lead of the night for the Devils.

New Jersey exited the second period with a 5-3 lead, courtesy of Marino’s second goal of the game and Hughes finishing off a tic-tac-toe play with Bratt.

"We have to rely on our structure," Bo Horvat said. "We were chasing too much a little bit tonight and that's when we get in trouble. We know that can't happen in the regular season, so we have to clean that up."

BARZAL SCORES TWICE ON LINE WITH HORVAT AND LEE

In the process of closely watching the growing chemistry between Barzal and Horvat, Lambert is experimenting to find fitting winger to compliment the line, and slotted in Lee on the left side against the Devils. Lambert described the trio as “dangerously offensive” and was satisfied with the combination.

“I could argue that he was our best player tonight,” Lambert said of Lee. “He competed, battled through penalties and got involved. I thought their chemistry was pretty good.”

Lee chipped the puck out of the Islanders zone in the first period, where Colin Miller mishandled the puck in the neutral zone, resulting in Barzal racing past him and into a breakaway to beat Schmid to open the scoring.

Barzal continued to stand out offensively as he received a cross-ice pass from Horvat in the third period to pull within one. The dynamic between the two is still cooking, as the duo was showcased for the second time in the preseason.

“It’s about what Lane thinks is the best combo and now he’s got us going,” Barzal said. “We've been playing well together. [Horvat] has been doing a lot of the passing more and I’ve been able to score, so I think the chemistry is there. Holmstrom did a great job in his first game with us, and Lee did a great job tonight too.”

NELSON AND ENGVALL PICK UP WHERE THEY LEFT OFF

Perhaps a positive note in Monday’s matchup was the continued chemistry between Nelson and Pierre Engvall.

After receiving a feed from Ryan Pulock, Engvall sent a backhand pass to Nelson, who was positioned in front of the net to bury the puck past Schmid to give the Isles a 2-0 lead in the first period.

“They're both pretty smart,” Pulock said of Engvall and Nelson. “They're both quick and can read the ice pretty well. So, I was able to make a move to give [Engvall] a little space and then he made a great pass back door.”

The two clicked as linemates last season after Engvall arrived on Long Island, but the pair was able to build their chemistry in Engvall’s first training camp with the Islanders. Nelson touched on the on-ice chemistry developing with Engvall prior to puck drop, which paid off in New Jersey.   

“Pierre is an easy guy to have in the room and on the ice to read off of,” Nelson said ahead of puck drop. “His speed really stands out, and he can create offense from the d-zone or o-zone.”

Engvall’s speed came in handy when the Islanders were trailing 3-2 in the second period. The 27-year-old winger beat Luke Hughes in a foot race, moved in on Schmid and hammered a half-slap shot five-hole for his first goal of the preseason.

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders head to Philadelphia on Thursday for a preseason date with the Flyers. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.