Devils vs. Islanders Preview: What To Watch

The New Jersey Devils are coming off an impressive 7-2 win against the Buffalo Sabres and will look to build off it against the New York Islanders.

The New Jersey Devils came away with an impressive 7-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night. Now, they need to build off it when they take on the New York Islanders tonight to complete their three-game homestand. Here are three things to watch. 

Islanders Defense Has Been Leaky

The Islanders may have a reputation as being a stingy defensive team, but their defense has been anything but stingy to start the 2023-24 season. They're giving up three goals a game, ranked 13th in the NHL, but it's not because their defense has played well. 

The Islanders are allowing an average of 2.96 expected goals per 60 minutes, the fifth-worst rate in the NHL. They've been getting by because Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov have been stellar in net. That's especially true of Varlamov, who has a .930 save percentage across seven starts. 

The Devils played one of their best five-on-five games of the season against the Sabres. They had a 65-25 shot attempt advantage and controlled 83.8 percent of the expected goals (xG%) while totaling five goals at that game state. 

Obviously, it's unfair to expect the Devils to put together that kind of performance again. But with Nico Hischier back and on a line with Ondrej Palát and Jesper Bratt, a trio that has dominated in a small sample, the Devils should get their fair share of chances at five-on-five. It's just a question of if they can beat the Islanders' goaltenders enough to win the game. 

A Good Spot for Jack Hughes to Break Through