Devils Gameday Preview: Facing the Islanders in First Road Game

The New Jersey Devils are heading to Long Island for their first road game of the 2026-27 season. After an impressive all-around effort on Thursday night, the Devils opened their season with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Now, they will face another Metropolitan Division opponent when they take on the New York Islanders in their home opener.

The Islanders opened their season on the road, falling 2-1 to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night. After a close loss in their season opener, the Islanders will certainly be looking to bounce back in front of their home crowd and start the season with a strong performance at UBS Arena.

Devils Storylines

For the Devils, Saturday’s matchup presents an early opportunity to build on the momentum from their opening-night victory and carry some of Thursday’s strong play into their first road game of the season.

One of the biggest things to watch will be the continued development of the Devils’ top line of Timo Meier, Luke Evangelista and Nico Hischier. The trio looked strong in their first game together, creating offensive opportunities and making several impressive plays throughout the night. While they were unable to find the back of the net, their chemistry was evident, and all three will be looking to break through offensively against the Islanders.

Special teams will be the major storyline. The Devils went 0-for-4 on the power play against the Flyers, and while it is still very early in the season and the team is continuing to find its rhythm, converting with the man advantage will undoubtedly be an area of focus on Saturday. There were positives to take from the opening-night power play, including strong zone entries, plenty of shots and good puck movement. The biggest issue was simply finishing the opportunities.

Team Stats

New Jersey Devils

Season Record: 1-0-0

Goalie Stats:

Jake Allen: 1-0-1, 1.89 goals-against average (GAA), .920 save percentage (SV%)

New York Islanders

Season Record: 0-1-0

Goalie Stats:

Ilya Sorokin: 0-1-0, 2.07 GAA, .923 SV%

Projected Lineup

(Subject to change before puck drop)

New Jersey Devils

• Timo Meier — Nico Hischier — Luke Evangelista
• Anthony Mantha — Jack Hughes — Jesper Bratt
• Arseny Gritsyuk — Evan Rodrigues — Dawson Mercer
• Amadeus Lombardi — Cody Glass — Stefan Noesen

• Luke Hughes — Brett Pesce
• Jonas Siegenthaler — Dougie Hamilton
• Brenden Dillon — Declan Chisholm

• ​Jake Allen
• Nico Daws

• Scratched: Jesper Boqvist, Remi Poirier
• Injured: Johnathan Kovacevic, Connor Brown

New York Islanders

• Simon Holmstrom Emil Heineman — Bo Horvat — Kyle Palmieri
• Victor Eklund — Calum Ritchie — Brayden Schenn
• Simon Holmstrom — Jean-Gabriel Pageau — Anthony Duclair
• Ondrej Palat — Casey Cizikas — Matias Maccelli

• Adam Pelech — Matthew Schaefer
• Alexendar Romanov — Ryan Pulock
• Logan Stanley — Tony DeAngelo

• Ilya Sorokin
• Semyon Varlamov

• Scratched: Kyle MacLean, Scott Mayfield, Matthew Kessel
• Injured: Mathew Barzal

Next Up for the Devils

After their first road game, the Devils will return home for a three-game homestand, beginning Tuesday night against the Utah Mammoth. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET. New Jersey will then host the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, Oct. 10, with a 3:30 p.m. ET matinee.