Game Preview: Islanders vs. Devils

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (16-6-4) VS NEW JERSEY DEVILS (8-11-3)
7PM | NASSAU COLISEUM
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The New York Islanders take on the New Jersey Devils in the first of three-straight meetings - over the span of four days - on Thursday night. Thursday also marks the fourth meeting this season between the Tri-State foes. The Islanders are 2-1-0 in the three previous meetings.
The Islanders host the Devils on Long Island in the first contest before traveling to Prudential Center for a back-to-back set on Saturday and Sunday. For the first time in 369 days, - since March 7, 2020 - the Islanders will be cheered on by in-person fans at Nassau Coliseum.

The Islanders are welcoming 1,000 frontline staff from Northwell Health as a thank you for their heroic efforts during the last year. On March 18, the Islanders will reopen attendance to Season Ticket Members with a cap of 10% capacity permitted.
"It will be great," Brock Nelson said of having fans back on Thursday. "Gives us some energy. It'll be open for first responders, which will be nice. Giving back a bit to what they've been doing for everyone in the community. It'll be fun, I think it'll be amped up. It'll be nice to have some action, some noise. Hopefully we can feed off that and keep it rolling for them."
The red-hot Islanders, who are riding a six-game winning streak and a nine-game point streak (8-0-1), are looking forward to the boost from having in-person fan support. The Islanders enter the matchup against New Jersey having picked up two big points in a 2-1 shootout victory over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night.
Anthony Beauvillier scored the winner in the third round of the shootout, while Brock Nelson scored the Islanders' sole goal in regulation on the power play. Semyon Varlamov stopped 32 of 33 in the win.
New Jersey enters Thursday's contest after falling 5-4 to the Washington Capitals in overtime on Tuesday night. The Devils rallied from a 4-1 deficit with three third-period goals from Miles Wood, Yegor Sharangovich and Damon Severson while Janne Kuokkanen scored in the second period. Scott Wedgewood made 25 saves in the OT loss.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• On top of their six-game winning streak and nine-game point streak (8-0-1) the Islanders are 13-2-4 in their last 19 games and are the only team in the NHL to have not suffered a regulation loss on home ice. The Islanders have earned points in their first 13 home games (11-0-2) and their 24 points are the most in the first 13 home games in club history.
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• Islanders Head Coach Barry Trotz coached in his 1,700th NHL game on Thursday and picked up his 99th victory behind the Islanders' bench. Trotz looks to reach another milestone on Thursday. With a win, he would become the third coach in Islander history to win 100 games, joining Al Arbour (who did it in 246 games) and Jack Capuano who holds the current record of 100 wins in 240 games. Trotz will coach his 177th game as the Islanders' bench boss on Thursday.
• Semyon Varlamov improved his record to 12-4-3 with a 2.03 GAA, a 929 SV% and three shutouts. Varlamov's wins, GAA, SV% and shutout marks are all tops in the East Division. The Russian netminder is 5-0-1 in his last six games, having allowed just 12 goals in that span with a 1.95 GAA and a .936 SV%.
• Nelson scored his 10th goal of the season and his team-best sixth power-play goal. Nelson extended his point streak to four games with as many goals during that span (4G, 1A). The center now ranks second in goal scoring behind Anders Lee (12). Through 26 games, Nelson has posted 15 points (10G, 5A).
• With a secondary assist on Nelson's PPG, Mathew Barzal recorded his 14th assist of the season and increased his team-leading point total to 23 (9G, 14A) through 26 games. The 23-year-old center also has points in six of his last eight games with eight points (3G, 5A) during that stretch.
• Beauvillier earned his first game-deciding goal in a shootout. Through 17 regular season games, the winger has six points (2G, 4A).
• Leo Komarov joined the lineup for the first time since Feb. 28 in place of Michael Dal Colle to add more veteran experience. Komarov played 10:03 and threw two hits while he played alongside Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Oliver Wahlstrom.
• Ryan Pulock surpassed Bryan McCabe for the second-longest ironman streak by an Islanders defenseman as he skated in his 221st-consecutive game. Pulock's streak is now second to Denis Potvin's ironman streak of 262 games that lasted from Nov. 29, 1975-Jan. 17. 1979.
• The Islanders have been awarded 30 power-play attempts in their last 17 games and have gone 10-for-30 (33.3%) in that span. In the NHL, the Islanders PP ranks 14th overall with a conversion rate of 23.5%.

DEVILS NOTES:

• The Devils have three points in their last seven games (1-5-1) and are ranked seventh in the East Division with an 8-11-3 record.
• Wood scored his team-leading eighth goal of the season and his first point since March 2 in a 2-1 loss against the Islanders, when he scored in the final minute of play to rob Varlamov of a shutout. Through 12 games this season, Wood has totaled 12 points (8G, 4A).
• Travis Zajac posted three assists on Tuesday and now has seven points (2G, 5A) through 18 games this season.
• With an assist, Ty Smith is now tied with Pavel Zacha for the most helpers among the Devils with 10 through 22 games. Smith, the Devils 20-year-old rookie blueliner has registered 12 points (2G, 10A) this season.
• Zacha leads New Jersey in scoring with his 16 points (6G, 10A) through 22 games.
• Wedgewood made his seventh start of the season. The 28-year-old goaltender has a record of 2-3-2, a 2.71 GAA and a .910 SV%.
• New Jersey averages the fifth-fewest goals for per game with a nightly average of 2.50. The Devils also allow the eighth-most goals against per game with an average of 3.12.
• On special teams, New Jersey's power play is ranked 29th overall in the NHL at 12.3% and has the worst penalty kill percentage of 64.6%.
• At the faceoff circle, New Jersey ranks the second-lowest - behind the New York Rangers (44.9%) - in FOW% at 45.1%.
• Newly appointed Devils captain Nico Hischier, remains sidelined after a freak accident where he took a puck to the face from his teammate P.K. Subban.
• Prior to New Jersey's practice on Wednesday, the team made the following roster moves: Connor Carrick and Brett Seney were reassigned to Binghamton (AHL), while Josh Jacobs and Nick Merkley were recalled from Binghamton (AHL) and placed on the Taxi Squad