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Game: New York Islanders (10-8-2 SBNation; Lighthouse Hockey) vs. the New Jersey Devils (9-9-2)
The Time: 4:00 PM EST
The Broadcast: MSG
Home Sweet Home: This Devils team has the strangest road/home split of the year. At home they are nearly unstoppable, with a record of 7-1-2. On the road, the opposite is true, as the Devils are the worst team on the road at 2-8-0. The question still holds, which Devils team is more indicative of the true talent of this Devils team? This Devils team has gotten destroyed by a lowly Senators team, but have recently beaten a strong Canadiens team. This game is very important for the Devils in a very mediocre Metropolitan division.
Streaky Islanders: This Islanders team is very confusing. They have recently been destroyed by the Rangers and Stars, but before that had muscled 7 and 5 goals respectably in wins. But before that, they had lost three in a row. And even before that, they had strung together five straight wins, with the last one being against our Devils. It is unknown which Islanders team will show up.
Their Best Players: Josh Bailey and Matt Barzal are the Islanders leading scorers, with 19 and 18 points respectably. Brock Nelson leads the team in goals, with 9 goals, while Anders Lee leads in power play goals with 5. Ryan Pulock and Nick Leddy will be seen a lot, as they are the D-pairing that average over 20 minutes a game.
The Islanders equally ride Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss, though Greiss has performed significantly better. Greiss has a .925 save percentage, while Lehner has a .906 save percentage. Greiss was pulled against the Stars in his last outing, and Lehner was recently smacked by the Rangers for 5 goals on 27 shots.
Devils Hot Players: As I’m sure you’re all aware, Pavel Zacha has scored 4 goals in the last three games. More encouraging, he’s shot half of his season shots total in the past three games. Jesper Bratt has 5 assists in his 7 games back. Keith Kinkaid has played four good games in a row, with non-overtime save percentages above .920. If the depth players can step up even further, and Kyle Palmieri, Nico Hischier and Taylor Hall can continue to lead these Devis, only good things will further come.
Projected Lineup: Not out yet as of 10:27PM, Thursday night.
Your Thoughts?: Who do you think will win? Who will score first? Let me know in the comments below, and take care.