New York Islanders

Islanders Game 81 Preview at New Jersey Devils: Lines, Notes & How To Watch

Published

2 weeks ago

April 15, 2024

The New York Islanders (37-27-16) play their final home game of the season against the New Jersey Devils (38-38-5) tonight at the Prudential Center, where a win will officially punch their ticket to the playoffs. Here’s what you need to know before puck drop.

Projected Lines:

Cizikas-Horvat-Barzal

Fasching-Nelson-Palmieri

Lee-Pageau-Engvall

Martin-MacLean-Clutterbuck

Pelech-Pulock

Romanov-Aho

Reilly-Bortuzzo

Varlamov

Sorokin

Last Time Out:

The Islanders saw their six-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers.

Adam Pelech had the chance to give the Islanders a two-goal cushion in the third period with a penalty shot but didn’t challenge Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin all that much.

That left room for Artemi Panarin to tie the game at 2-2 with 4:17 remaining in regulation. In the shootout’s first round, it was Panarin who scored the winning goal for the Ranger by beating Ilya Sorokin.

Above all, the biggest shortcoming on Saturday for the Islanders was their power play, which finished the afternoon 0-5.

The Opponent:

Tonight’s game will be the last in a disappointing season for the New Jersey Devils.

After setting a franchise record with 112 points in 2022-23, the Devils will miss the playoffs this season and can only hope to reach 83 points should they win tonight.

Jesper Bratt headlines New Jersey’s lineup tonight, leading the team with 82 points and 27 goals. However, the Devils will be without star forward Jack Hughes, who has missed the last three games after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery on April 9.

The newly acquired Jake Allen is expected to start in goal for the Devils. Since being acquired at the trade deadline, Allen has a record of 6-5-1 with a 3.04 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage.

New Jersey is ranked 10th, both on the power play and penalty kill this season. They are 4-5-1 in their last 10 contests.

For more coverage of the Devils, follow James Nichols at New Jersey Hockey Now.

How To Watch:

Puck drop between the Islanders and Devils from Prudential Center is scheduled for just past 7 p.m. EST. The game is available to watch on MSGSN2 or streamed MSG Plus on ESPN Plus for out-of-market viewers. 88.7 FM WRHU will produce the radio feed of the game, which can also be heard on 1050 AM ESPN or 103.9 FM WRCN.