All About The Jersey - New Jersey Devils vs New York Islanders: Game Stream #44A world class blog for Jersey's team: the New Jersey Devilshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47083/lou-fave.png2015-01-10T00:19:40-05:00http://www.allaboutthejersey.com/rss/stream/72831262015-01-10T00:19:40-05:002015-01-10T00:19:40-05:00Some Decent Play by Devils in 2-3 OT Loss to Isles
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<img alt="Pictured: The overtime winner. Also: This game got to overtime." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eTTZyB40mm7X6ODo534dNfbIOfU=/39x0:3929x2593/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45190424/usa-today-8321310.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Pictured: The overtime winner. Also: This game got to overtime. | Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>After an awful loss to Boston and a similarly awful first period, the New Jersey Devils played some decent hockey against the New York Islanders. So instead of a beatdown, it was a 2-3 overtime loss due to John Tavares being a star. This is a recap of that game.</p> <p>At least there was some competence, tonight.</p>
<p>I uttered that statement to a fellow fan leaving the train before heading home regarding how the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/">New Jersey Devils</a> did. It's worth noting that <a target="_blank" href="http://www.inlouwetrust.com/2015/1/8/7518857/new-jersey-devils-simply-pathetic-in-0-3-pounding-by-boston-bruins">the Devils were just terrible on Thursday night in Boston.</a> And that carried on through a first period where the Devils lost nearly every puck battle, chipped out the puck with reckless abandon, and turned the puck over as if that would surprise the opposition. The result of that was two shots on net and the sole silver lining of it being 0-0. With four consecutive bad periods of play, any improvement would be laudable. And there was some of that against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lighthousehockey.com/">New York Islanders</a>.</p>
<p>It wasn't until after a few minutes into the second period did the Devils realize that making passes while going forward was good and dump-and-chasing was not so good. It was on a play where <span>Patrik Elias</span> got a lane to the net, he flung it in front for <span>Travis Zajac</span>, who jammed the puck under <span>Jaroslav Halak</span>, who went into the net. The goal was waved off, but it was as if a switch was turned on for the Devils. Like they had the realization, "Hey, this is a 0-0 game. We can <i>do something</i> about it instead of letting the Isles do whatever." And so the play improved, Halak actually had some work to do, and eventually there would be a goal. A lovely passing play between Elias and Zajac ended with #19 slamming a one-timer past Halak for the game's first goal.</p>
<p>However, the Isles are a good hockey team themselves and found a way back into it. Late in the period, a series of penalties resulted in shorthanded situations with 4-on-4 time in between. The Isles did very well in that stretch, forcing <span>Keith Kinkaid</span> to dive on the smallest rebounds as they were crashing the net well. Their efforts wouldn't be rewarded with a goal until early in the third period, when a defensive faceoff turned into a poke-away by <span>Andy Greene</span> that went to Calvin de Haan. De Haan balsted it, <span>Josh Bailey</span> deflected it while cutting across the slot, and it was 1-1.</p>
<p>But the Devils didn't lay down after that downer. They played with the Islanders. They even got a big break minutes later. <span>Michael Ryder</span> dumped the puck in softly. It was coming around the boards, so Halak figured he would come out of his net to retrieve it and move it along. But it was so slow, <span>Adam Henrique</span> beat Halak to the puck right in front of the trapezoid. He immediately flung it to <span>Scott Gomez</span>, who one-timed the present into the empty net. It was a bad moment for the goalie, who did have struggles playing the puck, and a very good break.</p>
<p>That would not last - and with another unexpected goal. After <span>Dainius Zubrus</span> took his second offensive zone penalty of the night, the Devils were forced to kill off two minutes. This went fairly well until just after it ended. <span>Kyle Okposo</span> was found alone by the left circle and he hammered a slapshot towards goal. He Rolston'ed it, but the puck bounced to the other side of the cage and Kinkaid came out hard to his left for the shot. <span>John Tavares</span> was in a spot to retrieve the rebound and as Kinkaid glided back into his net, Tavares slung the puck off the back of Kinkaid's left leg and into the net. More of a fluke than a folly on Kinkaid, and while he was behind the goal line, one wonders why #91 didn't have a body on him. Regardless, it was 2-2. The Devils and Isles traded rushes and a few chances to score, which made for an up tempo ending. Even though the Isles out-shot the Devils 20-30, the second and third periods wasn't anything like the dominance that Boston imposed on Thursday or the crummy carpet-like play of the Devils in the first period.</p>
<p>Overtime was where it all ended. The Devils did well to start with skaters getting open and passes being made to make the most of that. Alas, the Islanders only needed one offensive play to end it. <span>Adam Larsson</span> retrieved a puck behind the net and skated towards the other corner. Tavares pokes at him once, but Larsson didn't respond to the pressure. Tavares, being faster than Larsson, goes for a little stick lift (it looked like he got some of his arm too), took it away, peeled out of the corner, and put it home. It was very much a superstar play and it won the game for the Islanders. While Larsson got his pocket picked (that first poke was a clue that he should've fired that puck away), that was a goal that I'm sure Kinkaid would like back as the goalie went down first and didn't stay in a good form. Tavares is too good of a shooter to not take advantage, and so he did. Game over, Devils lose 2-3 in overtime.</p>
<p>Unlike a lot of the losses seen this season, though, the Devils weren't straight-up inferior for a majority of the game. They were out-shot and out-attempted by unhealthy margins, but that was driven in part by a nightmare of a first period and in part by score effects as the Isles had to catch-up twice. If you agree with me that this is a bad team largely because they have been playing so bad, then a night where the team wasn't out-classed by a superior team throughout the night is welcomed. Especially after four straight periods of pathetic play, it was pleasant to see that the Devils actually hung with the Isles for better or worse. I was afraid of another sixty-minute mopping of the rink by the opposition. I got a game that went beyond regulation and nearly was won by New Jersey.</p>
<p>Given that 2014-15 season has been a lost one for the Devils, I'll I really want to see is some competitive play. They're simply not bad enough to drop to the level of Buffalo, Edmonton, or a bunch of other teams. They presumably still want to have fans pay money, time, and energy to see them play. Therefore, they should want to have more games like this one - even if they were ultimately lost and could have not been lost, some competence is infinitely more entertaining than very little. I'll take periods like this second and the third tonight over the first one from tonight and any of the three from the Boston game. Yeah, I know that means my level of expectations have been lowered, but with a season like this one, could you really blame me for it?</p>
<p><b>The Game Stats: </b>The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/GS020608.HTM">NHL.com Game Summary</a> | The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/ES020608.HTM">NHL.com Event Summary</a> | The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/PL020608.HTM">NHL.com Play by Play Log</a> | The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/SS020608.HTM">NHL.com Shot Summary</a> | The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/TH020608.HTM">NHL.com Devils Time on Ice Log</a> | The <a target="_blank" href="http://naturalstattrick.com/game.php?season=20142015&game=20608">Natural Stat Trick Corsi Charts</a> | The <a target="_blank" href="http://war-on-ice.com/game5.html?seasongcode=2014201520608">War on Ice Game Stats</a></p>
<p><b>The Opposition Opinion: </b><a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/1/9/7523263/new-york-islanders-new-jersey-devils-john-tavares-ot-goal">Dominik has this recap at Lighthouse Hockey that focuses on Tavares.</a> As he should. He scored the second equalizer in the third and the overtime winner, which he created all by himself. He was also an absolute boss on the ice; the Devils had little answer for #91. The superstar was, well, a superstar tonight.</p>
<p><b>The Game Highlights: </b> Highlights from NHL.com include a sweet goal by Zajac, a deflection by Bailey, two that don't shine a good light on the goalie, and an overtime winning play that was rather excellent by Tavares.</p>
<p align="center"><iframe height="395" width="640" frameborder="0" src="http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/embed?playlist=2014020608-X-h"></iframe></p>
<p><b>Who Had that Tavares Line: </b>The Tavares line is a very powerful one. It began with Tavares, Okposo, and <span>Mikhail Grabovski</span>. But Grabovski left the game early due to injury so he was replaced by Bailey. That's a tough line to deal with and the matchup the Devils tried the most against them didn't do so well since they combined for ten shots and three goals. That was the unit of Zajac, Elias, and <span>Martin Havlat</span>. At least Zajac and Elias contributed that one goal and nearly had one earlier in the second. At least they combined for seven shots. But Havlat, oh, he was picked on repeatedly tonight. And against the Isles' top unit, that was an issue even with Andy Greene and Adam Larsson back there. Let's just say that pairing got to play a lot of defense.</p>
<p>The real issue lies with the follow-up question, "Who should've had them instead?" Maybe Adam Henrique, <span>Jaromir Jagr</span>, and Scott Gomez? Certainly not <span>Mike Cammalleri</span>, Dainius Zubrus, and Michael "<a href="http://youtu.be/yDJGAG98GEE" target="_blank">About as Neat as One of the 5 Neat Guys</a>" Ryder. Absolutely not the fourths. The Tavares line was superb tonight so it's possible they were going to smash anyone. But if each line is going to have at least one real weak link defensively, then it's a real problem. Even if you're like me and you'll just accept competent play, then the Devils have to have a roster that has at least one unit that can survive a top unit - if only so the others are limited in their usage against the toughs.</p>
<p>It was also exacerbated tonight by the fact that <span>Ryan Strome</span>, <span>Frans Nielsen</span> (Aside: He was a good player on some really bad teams, he's showing that he can be a good player on a really good one now), and <span>Anders Lee</span> all had good games too. It was sort of a half-and-half effort from the Islanders lines in that two were really good and the other two were just present past the first period.</p>
<p><b>Oh, The Third Pairing: </b><span>Seth Helgeson</span> was scratched and deservedly so for getting dominated by Boston despite limited minutes. This did not lead to much improvement. <span>Mark Fraser</span> was a turnover machine again, a real lowlight in an abysmal first period. I wanted <span>Peter Harrold</span> back in the lineup. He was overwhelmed with and without Fraser, so I'm not so sure I want to see much more of Harrold. But what can the Devils do with three defensemen unavailable due to injury? They have to juggle some combination of Harrold, Fraser, and Helgeson and pretty much hope for the best. There wasn't much hope provided tonight, so this is another point of struggling.</p>
<p><b>Discipline, Get With It: </b> Zubrus was disappointing tonight largely because he took two offensive zone penalties. Larsson, I thought, was fine tonight but I didn't like the penalty he took late in the second period. I liked the hold Jagr took just before the 4-on-4 ended even less. While the Devils did well for the most part on the penalty kill - it got hairy in that second period - mostly six minutes on the PK didn't help the team's cause to go forward. It's worth noting that most of the calls came when the Devils were playing some decent hockey in the game. So those did hurt the efforts. There will be nights where the refs are calling it tight, but the little cheap and easy calls can't continue if the goal is to play somewhat better.</p>
<p><b>Who Did I Like: </b>Well, while they got beaten by the Tavares line, Zajac and Elias were very good together when they had an some attack time. <span>Marek Zidlicky</span> had some typical Zidlicky like moments, but he was firing away a bit more than usual and they were good decisions to do so. Jagr was trying to do too much early, but I'll take that over not much at all. Gomez was shooting the puck fairly well too, which is always notable since it involves Scott Gomez and shooting the puck. I really thought they would get one in overtime because they were so much in control early. Alas, sudden death comes, well, suddenly, when a star makes a star play.</p>
<p><b>Solid Goalies With a Few Exceptions:</b> Jaroslav Halak and Keith Kinkaid had fine games with one goal against that they will regret. The goal by Gomez was formed by Henrique, but really created by Halak coming out on the assumption he'd get the puck. Kinkaid did go down early on the OT winner. Other than those, both goalies were very good in form. Kinkaid made plenty of stops through traffic and Halak had to react well on a number of quick ones. It's worth noting that War on Ice's game stats track scoring chances based on shot location and both teams were tied at 13-13 in that regard, so both goalies had healthy workloads. Halak can at least feel less bad about his error since his team ultimately won.</p>
<p><b>A New Rivalry?: </b>There were a lot of Islanders fans at tonight's game, which led to the legitimate sell-out crowd at the Rock. And why shouldn't there be? The Islanders are a top team in the Eastern Conference for the first time in generations. They're playing a fairly local opponent. Even if a lot of them are jumping on the bandwagon, who can blame them for not getting on the Isles Express for most of the last 15 years or so? As there were a lot of visiting fans, there was a lot of noise from them. Again, why shouldn't there be? Who makes a trip to a visiting arena to be quiet? This annoyed quite a few Devils fans given the reactions I've heard live and at the game. With the Isles being a relevant hockey team and this influx of visiting fans compared to previous Isles-Devils games, maybe a new rivalry will be generated. It would be something to consider.</p>
<p>That does not mean you should jack up the prices, Devils management. Learn your lessons from your non-sellouts of Devils-<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.broadstreethockey.com/">Flyers</a> and Devils-<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blueshirtbanter.com/">Rangers</a> games earlier this season.</p>
<p><b>Lastly:</b> The Islanders are the best team in New York.</p>
<p><b>Your Take: </b>While I'm not down on this one - awful first period but still get a point and not get wrecked past the first does that - maybe you feel differently. Who did you like from the Devils tonight? Who impressed you the most on the Islanders? What lessons can the Devils take from this one and apply it before their upcoming road trip through California? Please leave your answers and other thoughts about tonight's overtime loss.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who commented in the Gamethread and followed along on Twitter via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/inlouwetrust" target="_blank">@InLouWeTrust</a>. Thank you for reading.</p>
https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2015/1/10/7523551/some-decent-hockey-played-new-jersey-devils-2-3-ot-loss-new-york-islandersJohn Fischer2015-01-09T18:00:02-05:002015-01-09T18:00:02-05:00Devils vs Islanders: Gamethread #44
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<p>This is the gamethread for today's game between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Islanders. This is a post where users can discuss what happens before, during, and after the game until the recap is up.</p> <p><strong>The Time:</strong> 7:00 PM EST</p>
<p><strong>The Broadcast:</strong> TV: MSG+ , Radio: 660 AM & 101.9 FM WFAN</p>
<p><strong>The Matchup:</strong> The <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/">New Jersey Devils</a> (15-21-7) vs. The <a href="https://www.lighthousehockey.com/">New York Islanders</a> (26-13-1) SBN Blog: <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/">Lighthouse Hockey.</a></p>
<p><strong>The Game Previews: </strong> Alex's preview from earlier <a href="http://www.inlouwetrust.com/2015/1/9/7519053/new-jersey-devils-vs-new-york-islanders-game-preview-44">is right here.</a> For the opposition's point of view, feel free to drop by <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/">Lighthouse Hockey.</a></p>
<p><strong>The Song for Tonight: </strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUqdgWL9O68">"Eroded" by Grave.</a> Apparently the song I chose last night didn't inspire much (if any) energy. So now it's Swedish death metal time...like it...or not.</p>
<p><strong>Gameday Info:</strong> <span>Keith Kinkaid</span> will get the start in net. <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://blogs.northjersey.com/blogs/fireice/">Check in</a> with Tom Gulitti for this and all the latest NJ Devils news.</p>
<p><strong>The Reminder of Rules: </strong>This is a place where you can comment about this game before, during, and after it's played before the recap is up. This is a place where we <em>primarily</em> discuss the Devils game. An odd mention of other NHL games is OK, but it shouldn't dominate discussion. All comments will be clean, respectful of each other, relevant to the game, and legal (read: no streams). Please refrain from super-big pictures (640 x 480 max) and NO .GIFs whatsoever to keep the gamethread moving for everyone. If you do post pictures make sure to post a title in the comment. Go Devils.</p>
https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2015/1/9/7521613/new-jersey-devils-vs-new-york-islanders-gamethread-44JT Sroka2015-01-09T07:00:02-05:002015-01-09T07:00:02-05:00Devils vs Islanders: Game Preview #44
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<img alt="Kinkaid was brilliant back when they played at Barclays." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/s1xFwEUt8MXG3niwAbZV7xhWkbE=/0x0:3022x2015/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45183582/usa-today-8107000.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Kinkaid was brilliant back when they played at Barclays. | Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The most recent back-to-back set for the New Jersey Devils has them returning home from Boston to host the New York Islanders. This is the second really quality team in as many nights that the Devils will play. Will they be able to put up a better performance?</p> <p style="text-align: left;" align="center">This will mark the first time this season that the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/">New Jersey Devils</a> are playing host to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lighthousehockey.com/">New York Islanders</a>. It should be an interesting one.</p>
<p><b>The Time: </b>7:00 PM EST</p>
<p><b>The Broadcast:</b> TV - MSG+; Radio - WFAN 660 AM and 101.9 FM</p>
<p><b>The Matchup:</b> The New Jersey Devils (15-21-7) vs the New York Islanders (26-13-1, SBN Blog: <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/">Lighthouse Hockey</a>)</p>
<p><b>The Last Devils Game:</b> Last night, the Devils traveled up to Boston where they went up against the always-dangerous <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/">Boston Bruins</a>. For the entirety of it, Boston thoroughly dominated the game. Despite only trailing 1-0 after the first period, the Devils were outshot 18-3. After the second period, now down 2-0 on the scoreboard, the Devils were down 29-7 in shots. Boston dominated the control of play ceaselessly. While having 7 shots through two periods, the Devils actually only had 4 for most of that time, getting a small flurry of shots near the end of the second period. And despite being down 2-0 in the third period, when they should have been able to have more control of the run of play due to the opposition sitting back and defending their lead, the Devils could not really get much going. Boston was a step ahead of them the entire game, and it showed. A real second rate effort by New Jersey led to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Bruins. <i></i><a href="http://www.inlouwetrust.com/2015/1/8/7518857/new-jersey-devils-simply-pathetic-in-0-3-pounding-by-boston-bruins">John had the recap here.</a></p>
<p><b>The Last Islanders Game: </b>Way back on Tuesday, the Islanders were finishing up their Western Canadian road trip. The road trip started well, with wins over Winnipeg and Calgary. The end of the trip, however, was not so great. After getting beat 5-2 by Edmonton, they went to Vancouver for a game against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.nucksmisconduct.com/">Canucks</a>. The Canucks were only able to muster 17 shots in the affair, as <span>Jaroslav Halak</span> did not get much work in. Sadly for him and his team, however, he would let in three of those shots. Vancouver took advantage of turnovers by the Islanders at key moments, turning them into goals. The Islanders jumped out to an early 1-0 lead thanks to <span>Matt Martin</span>, but by the end of the 2<sup>nd</sup> period, they were down 3-1 thanks to goals by <span>Ryan Stanton</span>, <span>Nick Bonino</span> and <span>Linden Vey</span>. <span>Mikhail Grabovski</span> would cut that lead in half thanks to a pretty one timer with 5:27 to go in the third, but that would be all. Despite attempts, the Islanders could not tie it up, and would lose 3-2. <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/1/7/7505369/recap-vancouver-canucks-3-new-york-islanders-2-linden-vey-matt-martin">The recap over at Lighthouse Hockey can be found here</a>.</p>
<p><b>The Goal:</b> Contain their speed. Overall, the Islanders are a young, fast, and athletic group. They can skate circles around you if you let them, and the Devils cannot allow that to happen. Because they skate so well, they also dominate in possession. Currently, the Islanders are <a href="http://stats.hockeyanalysis.com/teamstats.php?disp=1&db=201415&sit=5v5&sort=FFPCT&sortdir=DESC">the second best possession team in the league</a> in terms of Fenwick, and they are only a tenth of a point behind the leading <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.rawcharge.com/">Tampa Bay Lightning</a>. If the Devils cannot figure out how to contain the Islanders' skaters and force them into a slower-paced game, New York will most likely dominate in possession and score more goals. If the Devils do manage to curtail their speed, however, then good things can possibly happen.</p>
<p><b>Don't Hesitate</b>: One way to contain the opposition is to actually keep possession of the puck, control the game and get shots on net. While there are obviously several ways to do this, the one I want to highlight is not hesitating when making passes or shooting the puck. While much of this is understandable due to a new system and younger players, there are too many times where the Devils hesitate before making a pass forward out of the defensive zone, or hesitate before making a crossing pass in the offensive zone. Those hesitations and misgivings lead to botched passes, deflections, and turnovers. That puts the puck back into the hands of the opponent while also preventing a possible attempt forward for New Jersey. I hope that tonight, we see a Devils team that is confident in its passes and shots, and does not hesitate.</p>
<p><b>Most Likely Kinkaid: </b>With Cory Schneider playing in Boston last night, the odds are strongly in the favor of <span>Keith Kinkaid</span> getting the nod tonight. He has done real well against good teams this season, and I hope to see another strong performance out of him. He has been a real bright spot this season for New Jersey, and it would be great if he could keep it up. If you would like to see his current numbers, <a href="http://www.inlouwetrust.com/2015/1/3/7485807/the-numbers-for-the-devils-at-the-halfway-mark">I listed them in my post on Saturday</a>.</p>
<p><b>A Really Good Opponent: </b>The Islanders are certainly a good hockey club. They <a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/teamstats.htm?fetchKey=20152ALLSAAAll&sort=avgGoalsPerGame&viewName=summary">average just under three goals per game</a>, at 2.92. This is thanks to an impressive 32.5 shots per game that they put up. The only team that takes more shots than them is Chicago. Their shooting percentage is actually only average at 7.93%, good for 13<sup>th</sup> in the league, but because they shoot so much, they are able to find twine more often than not.</p>
<p>On the reverse side, they are similarly excellent at shot prevention. They are third best in the league at this, allowing only 27.2 shots per game, over 2 and a half shots less than New Jersey. So while their team save percentage is nothing special, coming in at 90.91% at 5 on 5 action, they don't allow too many goals simply because they do not allow all that many shots. Does this sound like the New Jersey Devils you used to know over the last couple seasons (with shot prevention and save percentages I mean...although without the success)?</p>
<p><b>Their <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.defendingbigd.com/">Stars</a> on Offense: </b>As with most really good opponents, the Isles have multiple stars that tend to dominate many games. Their points leader is none other than <span>John Tavares</span>, who produces nearly a point per game with 17 goals and 19 assists through 40 games played. His line mate <span>Kyle Okposo</span> is right behind him with 35 points in 40 games played, while also posting an excellent 55.1% Fenwick. The top line is rounded out by absolute speedster <span>Michael Grabner</span>, who has burned the slower Devils defense many times before. He has only played in 6 games so far this season, however, and was only activated off of IR for the Vancouver game on Tuesday. So hopefully for the Devils, he still has some rust.</p>
<p><b>Their Depth Forwards are Good Too: </b>Below the first line, there are still some good playmakers. <span>Brock Nelson</span> has had a real good season, producing 28 points and a Fenwick For of 53.8%. Down on the third line, <span>Ryan Strome</span> has had a real surge in production this season, with 28 points so far this season. Last season, he only had 18 points in a similar number of games played. He is someone to watch out for as well. Also, do not ignore their fourth line, which is not as bad as one would hope when playing them. The current trio of <span>Casey Cizikas</span>, Matt Martin and <span>Cal Clutterbuck</span> all has pristine possession statistics (FF% of 54.5, 55.5, and 56.7 respectively). So while they may not score as often as the skill players, they certainly know how to drive possession forward and keep the opposition on their heels.</p>
<p><b>A Good Defense, but Not As Good As Their Offense: </b>Their defense has been solid this season, but it has not been as bright as their offense. As mentioned above, they are excellent at shot prevention. What they are not as great in, however, is preventing goals. The Islanders allow 2.78 goals per game, which is good for 21<sup>st</sup> in the league. While that cannot all be placed on the defense, and the goaltending has to take some blame, nonetheless it needs to be noted.</p>
<p>Their top pairing is <span>Nick Leddy</span> and <span>Johnny Boychuk</span>, who each have 18 points (although Boychuk has played 10 less games). They are both possession giants, with Fenwick percentages hovering around 60%. They regularly play the toughs and come out on top. They will be really difficult to beat. Behind them, the Devils also need to worry about <span>Travis Hamonic</span>, who has been injury plagued this season, but when healthy is someone to watch out for. Thankfully, however, the Devils will not need to worry about <span>Lubomir Visnovsky</span>, who was recently placed on IR with an upper body injury.</p>
<p><b>An Area of Weakness...the PK: </b>The one area where the Isles have really struggled is on the penalty kill. Right now, the team ranks 26<sup>th</sup> in the league with a kill conversion rate of 76.5%. That is two percentage points worse than New Jersey. The Islanders do not take too many penalties, <a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/teamstats.htm?fetchKey=20152ALLSAAAll&sort=minorPenalties&viewName=penalties">ranking 7<sup>th</sup> in the league</a> with only 133 minor penalties taken, so they make up for a poor kill by not taking penalties. Nonetheless, the Devils have to hope they can get a few power plays, and convert on them.<i></i></p>
<p><b>Their Goaltending Situation: </b>The main man in net for New York is Jaroslav Halak, who will most likely start tonight since the team has been off since Tuesday. Halak has started 27 games this season, posting a .914 save percentage and a 2.30 GAA. Those are respectable numbers, but nothing special. However, his <a href="http://stats.hockeyanalysis.com/showplayer.php?pid=795">5 on 5 save percentage is at .924</a>, meaning that he is much better at even strength. He is not nearly as good on the penalty kill, meaning again that the Devils need to take advantage if they can get a power play or two.</p>
<p>If he happens to not go, their backup is <span>Chad Johnson</span>. He has started 9 games this season, but has a miserable save percentage of .867. There is a chance he could play, being as tonight is the first of a back-to-back for the Islanders, but I would still venture to guess that Halak is between the pipes, as it could be smarter for the Isles to just ride Halak both nights if he is able.</p>
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<p><b>Your Take:</b> Regardless, it will be interesting tonight to see the Islanders come to the Rock this season. Playoff bound, they will be a tough matchup for our New Jersey Devils. What do you think though? What are your thoughts on tonight's game, and what do the Devils need to do to keep up with New York? Please leave your comments in the section below, and thanks for reading.</p>
https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2015/1/9/7519053/new-jersey-devils-vs-new-york-islanders-game-preview-44Alex Potts