Devils Dominate Islanders in Preseason Opener
In a dominating display, the New Jersey Devils marked their first successful outing of the preseason by overpowering the New York Islanders with a scoreline of 6-2. Dougie Hamilton, in his initial game of the preseason, opened the scoring at 13:52 in the first period, converting a power-play opportunity assisted by Jack Hughes and Dawson Mercer.
Game Highlights
The Islanders equalized late in the first, as Emil Heineman netted their first goal on just their first shot against Devils’ goalie Jacob Markstrom, bringing the scoreboard to 1-1 with four minutes left in the frame. Just 44 seconds into the second period, however, Nico Hischier reclaimed the lead for New Jersey while they were on a power play, with Hughes and Jesper Bratt assisting, making it 2-1.
The momentum shifted further in favor of the Devils as Connor Brown and Dawson Mercer found the back of the net in swift succession, pushing New Jersey’s advantage to 4-1. Remarkably, the Islanders could only muster nine shots on goal over the first two periods.
Final Period and Key Contributors
Rookie defenseman Ethan Edwards extended the Devils’ lead four minutes into the final period, with Luke Glendening on a professional tryout providing the primary assist, followed by Brett Pesce. New Jersey struck again on the power play with Evgenii Dadonov‘s wrist shot, which slipped past Islanders’ goalkeeper Tristan Lennox. Calum Ritchie scored for New York with their power play goal, but it was not enough to close the gap.
Key contributors for the Devils included Hamilton, Hughes, Mercer, and Meier, each finishing the clash with two points.
Looking Ahead
New Jersey will look to build on this momentum in their next preseason match scheduled for Friday, September 26, at UBS Arena, where they will face the Islanders once more. Keep an eye on THN’s New Jersey Devils hub for the latest insights, interviews, and in-depth analyses on the team.
