The New Jersey Devils lost 1-0 to the New York Islanders on Sunday afternoon at the Prudential Center. It was a low-event affair between two teams who are locked into their postseason fates: the Devils facing the Carolina Hurricanes, and the Islanders eliminated from playoff contention. With the loss, the Devils fell to 41-32-7 while the Islanders improved to 35-33-12.
Game Recap
Period One
The game was a bit choppy in the early going. Luke Hughes had the first good look of the game and fired a heavy shot from the high slot that was saved by Ilya Sorokin.
The Devils had the first power play opportunity after Nico Hischier was hauled down in front of the net, but they couldn’t get anything going with the man advantage.
The Devils had the heavy shot advantage at the halfway mark of the period, outshooting the Islanders 9-2.
Nate Bastian was assessed a boarding minor, putting New Jersey on the penalty kill. Bo Horvat appeared to score, but it was quickly waved off because Horvat’s glove directed it into the net. The Devils killed the rest of the penalty.
The Islanders were outworking the Devils along the walls, forechecking hard and winning puck battles to generate momentum.
New Jersey evened the play in the final five minutes and got a few more shots through to Sorokin.
The Devils outshot the Islanders 10-8 in the frame.
Period Two
It was a slow start to the period, with each team having just one shot six minutes in.
Paul Cotter collided with Adam Pelech in the neutral zone and was assessed a five-minute major and a match penalty for head contact. Pelech was cut on the nose and left the ice.
The Devils allowed just one shot during the five-minute penalty kill.
New Jersey had the distinct edge in play as the period wound down, but a bad turnover by Timo Meier in front of Jacob Markstrom gave the Islanders the lead with 57 seconds left in the period. Horvat was credited with the unassisted goal.
Sheldon Keefe debated challenging the goal for offside but ultimately decided against it, and the goal stood.
The Devils outshot the Islanders 6-5 in the period.
Period Three
New Jersey had too many men on the ice just a minute into the period, but killed the penalty with ease.
The Devils couldn’t get much going in the offensive zone, and they struggled to get to the dangerous areas of the ice.
Just past the halfway mark of the period, New Jersey seemed to find its footing and started getting extended zone time.
The Devils pushed to end the game but couldn’t find the tying goal.
New Jersey outshot the Islanders 25-22 in the loss.
Takeaways
As for the postseason, the Devils are locked into their first-round matchup, and for the first 50 minutes of the game, they looked like a team simply going through the motions to get to the playoffs. They lacked intensity and got outworked along the boards. The penalty kill was good, but the Devils took too many penalties and wasted potential O-zone time.
While they technically have nothing to play for in the final few games, the Devils should be looking to finish the season strong. Even if it doesn’t result in a win, they should be demonstrating good habits and work ethic, but that hasn’t been the case in their past three contests. Following a dominant performance over the Rangers, they have gotten blown out by the Bruins, given up four unanswered goals to lose to the Penguins, and most recently, were shut out by the Islanders, all three being losses to non-playoff teams.
Of course, the Devils shouldn’t risk injury and put themselves in vulnerable positions to make something happen in these games, but they should look to improve play along the boards and eliminate careless turnovers.
Against Carolina, they will have to be strong with their sticks to win battles against a heavy-checking team. Additionally, the Hurricanes like to throw pucks at the net from anywhere and everywhere, and the Devils can’t hand them more opportunities with sloppiness in front of their netminder.
New Jersey should treat the remaining two contests as a “tune-up” to finalize their line combinations and polish their game before traveling to Raleigh for game one of the playoffs.
Player Safety Meeting for Cotter
Paul Cotter will have a hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety on Monday following a hit to the head of Islanders’ defenseman Adam Pelech. He was assessed a five-minute major and a match penalty during the game.
Signing News
The New Jersey Devils signed Shane Lachance to an entry-level contract on Sunday evening.
21-year-old Lachance is a 6’5″ forward from Andover, Massachusetts. He played two seasons in the USHL with the Youngstown Phantoms and helped them with the 2023 Clark Cup before moving to Boston University, where he’s spent the past two seasons.
As a freshman, he appeared in all 40 games for the Terriers and recorded 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points.
This past season, he served as the program’s first sophomore Captain and tallied 12 goals and 18 assists for 30 points in 40 games. The Terriers made a deep playoff run, appearing in the NCAA Championship game on Saturday night, where they ultimately fell 6-2 to the Broncos of Western Michigan. Lachance recorded the second goal for Boston University in the National Championship, a power play marker midway through the second frame.
The terms of his contract are currently unknown but should become available in the coming days.
Up Next
The Devils hit the road for the final time in the regular season to take on the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night at TD Garden.
The Bruins sit last in the Eastern Conference with a 33-39-9 record. Most recently, they defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 on Sunday evening.
This is the third and final meeting of the season between Boston and New Jersey. The Devils took the first contest 5-1 while the Bruins won the most recent matchup 7-2.
Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. EST on MSGSN and NESN.
ITR 34: End Of The Road – Inside The Rink
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