The New York Islanders celebrated the return of fans to Nassau Coliseum by securing their seventh consecutive victory, a 5-3 win over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night. Matt Martin and Adam Pelech scored first-period goals, and rookie Ilya Sorokin made 19 saves to keep the Islanders’ impressive home streak alive.
The Islanders, who remain undefeated in regulation at the Coliseum this season with a 12-0-2 record, had 1,000 frontline workers in the stands—the first fans in the arena since March 7, 2020.
“It was special with all the sacrifices they made, all the long hours and sleepless nights,” Martin said. “We are grateful for them to be the first ones in the stands watching Islander hockey.”
Noah Dobson, Josh Bailey, and Brock Nelson also scored for the Islanders, while Sorokin picked up his fifth win of the season.
The Devils mounted a late comeback attempt, scoring three goals in the third period. Janne Kuokkanen and Mikhail Maltsev scored 40 seconds apart, and Jack Hughes added his sixth season goal. Mackenzie Blackwood made 29 saves in the loss.
Martin started the scoring early, netting his fifth goal of the season just 3:15 into the game with a shot from the blue line that eluded Blackwood. Pelech followed up with a goal at 9:54, giving the Islanders a 2-0 lead.
After Pelech’s goal, Islanders captain Anders Lee had to leave the game after a collision with the Devils’ Pavel Zacha. Lee, who has played in 295 consecutive games since January 2017, was helped off the ice and did not return. He currently leads the Islanders with 12 goals. Coach Barry Trotz did not update Lee’s condition after the game.
“Anders is our captain, our leader. He’s got total respect from our whole team,” Trotz said. ”Everyone on our bench felt for him there.”
Dobson added a third goal for the Islanders at 14:05 of the second period, his third of the season. The Islanders’ defense played a significant role in the victory, with all six defensemen contributing points. Ryan Pulock recorded two assists, while Nick Leddy, Andy Greene, and Scott Mayfield each added one.
Bailey scored 4-0 with a goal at 17:13 in the second period, and Nelson scored his 11th of the season early in the third to extend his goal streak to four games. Pulock earned his second assist of the game on Nelson’s goal.
“Everyone was chipping in,” Pulock said. ”We want to help out our forwards.”
The Islanders have now gone 9-0-1 in their last 10 games, while the Devils have struggled, winning just once in their last eight games and posting a 2-8-1 record over their last 11.
“We weren’t skating well; it seemed like our energy was low, and we didn’t pass the puck well,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. ”If we’re going to get behind the 8-ball every game, it’s going to make it really hard on this group.”
The Islanders, who have enjoyed a home-heavy schedule recently, will now face a challenging stretch with eight of their next 10 games on the road.
MILESTONE WIN
Islanders coach Barry Trotz reached a milestone with his 100th win with the franchise, joining Al Arbour and Jack Capuano. Lou Lamoriello also earned his 100th win as the Islanders’ general manager, joining Bill Torrey, Mike Milbury, and Garth Snow.
INTENSE SCHEDULE
The Islanders are in a grueling stretch, playing 19 games in 33 days for the first time in franchise history. They are 8-0-1 during this challenging run so far.
UP NEXT
- The Islanders and Devils will face off again on Saturday and Sunday in New Jersey.
