DATE WITH THE DEVIL: New York Islanders Lineup, Matchups and Game Notes vs. New Jersey

The New York Islanders will host the New Jersey Devils this evening, but it’s likely that they’ll be doing so without Josh Bailey.

The 13-year veteran was placed on the NHL’s list of players unavailable due to COVID protocols on Wednesday. Should Bailey miss Today’s game, it would snap his streak of playing in 156 consecutive games. Islanders head coach Barry Trotz could only say that Bailey was in protocol.

The New York Islanders head coach also did not provide any details about his potential lineup tonight. Trotz did say that Michael Dal Colle was “really close” to coming off IR and could be a “possibility” for tonight’s game against New Jersey.

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Today will mark the first the New York Islanders and New Jersey face one another this season. The last time the two sides played was a 4-3 overtime win for the Islanders on Jan. 7, 2020 at the Prudential Center.

New Jersey enters tonight’s game with wins in two of their first three games of the year and they have picked up at least one point in all of their contests so far this season. Star forward Jack Hughes scored twice in New Jersey’s 4-3 win over the New York Rangers on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.

The Islanders did some video on New Jersey in the lead up to today’s game, and it’s very evident to them how well the team is playing.

“We want to get to our game, try to get on the attack and play their style against them.”

Nelson ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/un3IwUI5I4

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) January 21, 2021

“They’re playing fast, five-on-five they’ve been playing well,” Brock Nelson said. “You have to play hard defensively against the guys that are cooking offensively. Get to the net and create some chances. Right now, five-on-five seems to be hard for the teams we’re playing against. We want to get to our game and try to get on the attack. Kind of play their style against them.”

New Jersey head coach Lindy Ruff did not announce who would start in net when he spoke to the media earlier today.

Islanders Lineup (Projected)

Anders Lee — Mathew Barzal — Jordan Eberle

Anthony Beauvillier — Brock Nelson — Kieffer Bellows

Ross Johnston — Jean-Gabriel Pageau — Leo Komarov

Matt Martin — Casey Cizikas — Cal Clutterbuck

Adam Pelech — Ryan Pulock

NickLeddy — Scott Mayfield

Andy Greene — Noah Dobson

Semyon Varlamov

Ilya Sorokin

New Jersey Devils Lineup (Projected)

Yegor Sharangovich — Jack Hughes — Kyle Palmieri

Andreas Johnsson — Pavel Zacha — Nikita Gusev

Miles Wood — Travis Zajac — Jesper Boqvist

Janne Kuokkanen — Michael McLeod — Nathan Bastian

Ryan Murray — P.K. Subban

Dmitry Kulikov — Damon Severson

Ty Smith — Matt Tennyson

Mackenzie Blackwood

Scott Wedgewood

Game Notes

The Islanders’ penalty kill is 16-for-17 through the first three games of the season. It is operating at a 92.3 percent success rate and is third overall in the league. … The Islanders are 5-1-0 against New Jersey in their last six games. … Barry Trotz will match Butch Goring for eighth on the organization’s list of all-time Islanders games coached. Tonight will be Trotz’s 143rd game coached. … Miles Woods leads New Jersey’s goal scoring with three goals in their first three games. He is also entering tonight’s contest with a three-game point streak. … Jack Hughes tied a team record for most points through the club’s first three games of a season with six points. … Nico Hischier (3) and Kyle Palmieri (3) led New Jersey in points against the Islanders last season.

How to Watch

Today’s game will air locally on MSG+ or it is streamable on MSG Go or on NHL.tv outside of the New York market. On the radio dial, the game can be heard on 1050 AM ESPN, 88.7 FM WRHU and 103.9 FM LI News Radio.