The New Jersey Devils looked to remain undefeated at home on Monday night as Matthew Schaefer and the New York Islanders came into town. While that was not the case, they still earned a point as they fell 3-2 in overtime.
Related: Islanders Hand Devils Their First Home Loss with 3-2 Overtime Victory
Rush Offense Struggles (Playing Ping-Pong)
The Devils had just one opportunity off the rush all game, which belonged to Ondrej Palat. Postgame, forward Timo Meier described the game being played as “ping-pong”, as neither team was able to sustain any significant offensive zone time for long stretches.
“That’s not the style of game we want to play,” said Meier. “We got in the [offensive] zone, we got a shot from the outside and then went the other way…didn’t do a good enough job…that’s something we have to look at and keep building.”
With the parity in the National Hockey League, there’s no team that could consistently be defeated if you fail to play your best game. But it’s no reason for long-term concern, and frankly, the Islanders’ defense — and goaltender Ilya Sorokin — did play well and deserve some credit. The Devils are one of the better rush teams and this should simply be seen as a down night. Even with the struggles, they still notched a point.
Refreshed 4th Line with Zack MacEwen
While the Devils got off to an 11-4-0 start, it certainly wasn’t due to the offense generated by their fourth line. They had really been struggling to get any meaningful production from every collective group they tried; their most-utilized fourth line of Brian Halonen, Luke Glendening and Paul Cotter were the third-worst among 185 lines to play 30+ minutes this season (based on expected goals, via Moneypuck).
Zack MacEwen returned after missing 13 games to injury…and his impact was noticeable. While he may not have registered a point, he showed a lot of great signs.
“He moves up and down the ice well,” said head coach Sheldon Keefe. “He had some shots, a couple scoring chances, which we haven’t had much of that coming from our fourth line. And the two games that he’s played are probably the best I’ve liked our fourth line on the season. So that’s encouraging for him and for our team.”
According to Natural Stat Trick, that line tilted the ice as shot attempts were 9-3 in favor of the Devils. They had three scoring chances to the Islanders’ one — and two of those three were of the high danger variety. Despite some short shifts as he worked his way back, MacEwen was third among Devils forwards in expected goals. He also led the team with four hits. It’s hard not to like what he’s brought to the table.
Simon Nemec’s Resurgence
In the wake of all the injuries, a lot of responsibility is placed on the shoulders of Simon Nemec. Tonight was his second solid game in a row, and he was rewarded for his efforts with a game-tying goal with under five seconds to go, helping the Devils steal a point when it looked like they’d lose in regulation.
“Nemo’s showing when opportunity arises, he can step up and rise to the occasion…We don’t have a lot of options [so] we need these guys to step up,” said Keefe.
4.7 SECONDS LEFT! pic.twitter.com/LPCmpDj5r6
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) November 11, 2025
While he has yet to put it together for long spurts at a time, this could possibly be the season he does so. It’s important to remember that he’s still just 21 years old. He’s now on pace for 46 points this season, which would be the eighth-best output by a Devils’ defenseman in the 21st century.
Moving Forward
The Devils’ nine-game home point streak matches their longest to start a season in franchise history (1987-88). They won’t get a chance to extend that just yet, as they begin a five-game road trip on Wednesday in Chicago (9:30 PM EST).
