The New York Islanders finally secured a victory at their new UBS Arena on Saturday evening, defeating division rival New Jersey Devils 4-2 with key contributions from two former Devils captains.
Andy Greene tied the game, and Zach Parise scored the go-ahead goal in the second period, leading the Islanders to their second win in three games. Noah Dobson and Jean-Gabriel Pageau also scored, while Ilya Sorokin made 30 saves. Mathew Barzal extended his point streak to six games with two assists.
“It was as close to a must-win that we’ve had all season,” Parise said. “To come out and finally give our home crowd a win is really important for us.”
Before the game, the Devils announced that captain Nico Hischier and defenseman Ryan Graves were in COVID-19 protocol. Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes scored for New Jersey, but the Devils lost six of their last seven games. Akira Schmid stopped 25 of 29 shots in his NHL debut.
“It was a great experience,” Schmid said. The NHL is just faster. There is more skill and traffic in front of the net. I was nervous, but after the first, it felt like any other game.”
The Islanders’ seven-game winless streak at UBS Arena was the longest in NHL history for a new arena.
Greene tied the game 2-2 with a wrist shot past Schmid’s left pad at 8:33 of the second period, assisted by Barzal and Josh Bailey.
Parise scored his first goal of the season, and first as an Islander, with 3 1/2 minutes left in the second period while the team was shorthanded. Pageau set the goal with a backhanded pass to Parise, who was alone in the offensive zone.
“That just fires our group right up anytime a guy like that, a well-respected guy that we were obviously happy to get this offseason, he gets the monkey off his back,” Barzal said of Parise. “Hopefully now he can get rolling.”
The 37-year-old Parise signed a one-year deal with the Islanders after the Minnesota Wild bought out the remaining four years of his 13-year contract, which he signed in July 2012.
Pageau extended the Islanders’ lead to 4-2 at 9:37 of the third period with a one-time shot from an Oliver Wahlstrom cross-ice feed.
Bratt opened the scoring for New Jersey late in the first period with an assist from defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler. Bratt leads the team with 24 points and extended his point streak to five games.
“They were a desperate team,” Devils defenseman P.K. Subban said. “They hadn’t won at home. They never took their foot off the gas for 60 minutes. You have to give them credit. They earned the victory.”
Islanders coach Barry Trotz said it’s not enough: “We are still looking up. The view never changes unless you are in front, and we are not in front, so the view is not going to change until we start winning some hockey games.”
Dobson tied the game with two minutes left in the first period, but Hughes responded 40 seconds later to give the Devils a 2-1 lead heading into the second period.
Brock Nelson (lower-body injury) and Casey Cizikas (COVID-19 protocol) returned to the Islanders’ lineup after missing seven and five games, respectively.
Coach’s Decision
Trotz scratched forward Anthony Beauviller for the first time this season. Beauviller has three goals and four assists in 21 games after signing a three-year, $12.45 million contract in the offseason. “Internal competition is good,” Trotz said after the morning skate. “It’s very easy to get complacent when you’re in. You’ve got to get to your identity, you’ve got to produce and you have to be productive.”
Fisticuffs
Zdeno Chara defended his partner Dobson by fighting Mason Geersten 6:30 into the opening period. The 44-year-old Chara has been in three fights this season, including the Islanders’ previous game against the Nashville Predators.
Up Next:
- Devils: Visit Philadelphia on Tuesday.
- Islanders: At Detroit on Tuesday.
