Islanders at Devils
THE STORY: The New York Islanders’ latest slide has sent them all the way to the bottom of the pile in the NHL. The Columbus Blue Jackets picked up a win on Friday, moving themselves to 15 points - one ahead of the Islanders. New York has been caught in a tough stretch for the last month, dropping 14 of its last 16 games. Friday’s 1-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils marked the Islanders’ fourth straight setback and the third time in the last four games that they had been shut out. At least they will get the chance for immediate revenge on Saturday when they head to the Garden State for the back end of a home-and-home set. The Devils have won eight of their last 11 to jump back into the mix with the top teams in the Atlantic Division.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, MSG+2, MSG+
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (5-11-4): New York is last in the NHL in goals per game (1.9) and ranks among the leaders in goals against (3.25). While the return of Rick DiPietro to regular time in goal can only mean good things for the defense, the Islanders need to solve a power-play unit that is 3-for-34 (8.8 percent) in November. Leading scorer John Tavares has been held without a point in four straight games and without a goal in nine.
ABOUT THE DEVILS (12-8-1): While its offense has slacked off a bit in the last two games, New Jersey has picked it up in its own zone and has dominated on the penalty kill. The Devils have allowed one power-play goal in their last 13 games (50 of 51) and are 21 of 21 over the last four contests. Petr Sykora got the lone tally on Friday, getting a long rebound in the slot and one-timing it past Al Montoya for a power-play goal.
OVERTIME:
1. Tavares was reportedly fined $2,500 for slashing Devils forward Zach Parise on Friday.
2. DiPietro is 13-11-1-2 with a 2.16 goals-against average in 27 career games against New Jersey.
3. Adam Larsson, who assisted on Sykora’s goal, was benched in the third period Friday for turning the puck over.