Anthony Duclair delivered a dominant performance with three goals and two assists, and Ilya Sorokin turned aside all 44 shots in his return from injury as the New York Islanders overwhelmed the New Jersey Devils 9-0 on Tuesday night.
Duclair, back in the lineup after being scratched the previous two games, scored three straight goals spanning the opening period and early second to spark New York’s offensive eruption. It marked his fourth career hat trick and his first in more than six years, dating back to December 2019. The five-point night was the most productive of his NHL career.
Sorokin looked sharp in his first game since Dec. 19, showing no signs of rust while recording the 26th shutout of his career, the most in Islanders franchise history. He had been sidelined with what the team described as a lingering lower-body issue.
New Jersey’s night unraveled quickly. Jacob Markstrom surrendered goals on the first two shots he faced and allowed three goals on five attempts overall, finishing with nine saves on 24 shots. The Devils struggled to respond after Sunday’s home loss to Carolina and have now dropped six of their last eight games.
The Islanders, meanwhile, stayed hot with their second straight win and their fifth in the past seven games, keeping pace in the Metropolitan Division race.
Mathew Barzal opened the scoring just over a minute into the game, with rookie Matthew Schaefer earning an assist to extend his point streak to four games. Despite battling illness, Schaefer continued to contribute after scoring an overtime winner over the weekend.
Additional goals for New York came from Simon Holmstrom, Casey Cizikas, Tony DeAngelo, and Cal Ritchie, rounding out a lopsided team effort.
Up next
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Devils: Visit Pittsburgh on Thursday night.
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Islanders: Open a seven-game road trip Thursday night in Nashville.
