3 Takeaways From Devils’ 4-1 Victory Over Islanders in Preseason Finale

On Saturday evening, the New Jersey Devils hit the road for their second tilt against the New York Islanders. Earlier this week, they defeated their Metropolitan Division rivals 2-1 at Prudential Center, earning their first preseason win of 2026-27. So it was only fitting to end the schedule at UBS Arena, where the Devils swept the Islanders in a 4-1 victory.

For game four, the Devils rolled out their full NHL lineup and put on a dominant performance from start to finish. Here are three key takeaways from their preseason finale.

Luke Evangelista’s Early Success

Plenty of offseason additions have stood out early on, but none have made a statement quite like Luke Evangelista. In his first game donning the red and black, he recorded an assist on the opening goal, generating immediate chemistry with linemates Nico Hischier and Timo Meier. Moving forward, there’s no doubt that the Meier-Hischier-Evangelista line will play a major role in the Devils’ offense.

Evangelista was the hero early on against the Islanders, putting New Jersey on the board first with a power-play goal. He received a look on the top unit alongside Hischier, Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Luke Hughes after the Islanders’ Scott Mayfield was sent to the box for holding.

Power play putting the league on notice. pic.twitter.com/9GpEOgNpXV

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) September 26, 2026

On a feed from J. Hughes, Evangelista found himself in front of the net, firing the puck past Ilya Sorokin 6:13 into the first period. He struck again at the start of the second right after Arseny Gritsyuk made it a 2-0 game, putting the Devils up by three goals. Evangelista rounded out the night with two goals on three shots, and led the team with six shot attempts in 14:57 of ice time.

After the game, he told reporters what it meant to skate on the first power-play unit in only his second game with the Devils. He also shared how his offseason training can potentially make a difference on the man advantage. “I worked on my release a lot this summer…Hopefully it pays off. It’s just one game, so still a long ways to go, but it was a good start,” said Evangelista.

Bottom-Six Preview

The final preseason matchup answered a lot of questions in terms of the Devils’ bottom six, which has been a major liability in recent seasons. If last night’s performance was any indication, depth scoring should be another one of the team’s strengths.

Their third line consisted of Gritsyuk, Evan Rodrigues, and Dawson Mercer — and the trio made quite the impact despite recording the least amount of 5-on-5 ice time. Mercer made a one-touch pass to Rodrigues, then Gritsyuk raced up the ice with the puck, finding the back of the net with his signature wrist shot 42 seconds into the second.

But the Devils’ fourth line of Amadeus Lombardi, Cody Glass, and Connor Brown also spoke volumes. Together, they created 10 shot attempts for the Devils in 5-on-5 situations, compared to just one against. Lombardi-Glass-Brown also had a 100% shots for percentage, generating five shots while holding the Islanders to zero.

Unsurprisingly, it seems like general manager (GM) Sunny Mehta found a diamond in the rough with Lombardi. Now that Nick Bjugstad is expected to miss four to six months after undergoing surgery on a torn pectoral muscle, there’s a good chance Lombardi will make the roster come opening night.

Penalty Kill Leads the Way

The power play might have stolen the show early on, but another crucial factor in the Devils’ success was the penalty kill. They went a perfect 4-0 against the Islanders, limiting their opponents to just two shots on goal.

After Mercer received a hooking penalty, the Devils’ penalty kill went to work. Glass won the first faceoff, quickly followed by a shorthanded wrist shot from Hischier. The Islanders could not get a shot on goal during their first power play.

With nearly eight minutes left in the first, the Devils went back on the penalty kill. Jake Allen was able to save the only shot he faced, while Gritsyuk blocked another attempt from Kashawn Aitcheson. The Devils halted the Islanders twice more on the man advantage, maintaining their four-goal lead until the end of the third period, when Simon Holmstrom cut the Islanders’ deficit to three.

Their penalty kill displayed both discipline and structure, earning praise from head coach Sheldon Keefe after the game. “I think we did a lot of really good things today. Five-on-five, power play, penalty kill, goaltending. I liked a lot about our game, yet there’s still lots we can get better at,” stated Keefe. All in all, it looks like their special teams are shaping up to be a major asset for 2026-27.

With preseason in the rearview, the Devils will be back in action on Oct. 1, taking on the Philadelphia Flyers at home for their season opener.