Islanders at Devils
The New York Islanders qualifying for the playoffs during the lockout-shortened 2013 season was a mild surprise. Doing so on the strength of one of the top road records in the NHL was downright astounding. Repeating the feat could prove to be a tall task for the emerging Islanders, but they'll look to get off on the right foot as they visit the New Jersey Devils on Friday in their regular-season opener.
The Islanders' quest for a second straight postseason berth will rest on the shoulders of young superstar John Tavares, who averaged nearly a point per game last season while ranking third in the NHL with 28 goals. The new team captain will square off against a New Jersey team that opened the season with a thud, firing 27 shots at Marc-Andre Fleury but ultimately coming up empty in a 3-0 loss to Pittsburgh. Cory Schneider turned aside 18 shots in defeat.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG Plus (New York), MSG (New Jersey)
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (2013: 24-17-7, 8th East): Only the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks had a better road record than the Islanders, who went 14-6-4 outside Long Island en route to securing the final playoff spot in the conference. Unfortunately, that meant a first-round showdown with the Penguins, who cruised to a six-game victory. New York was boosted by the eighth-best offense in the league a season ago (139 goals) but will need to firm up a porous defense that lost blue-line anchor Mark Streit to free agency.
ABOUT THE DEVILS (0-1-0): The loss of All-Star forward Ilya Kovalchuk to the KHL over the summer left a hole in the New Jersey offense - and though it has only been one game, the void looks enormous. Damien Brunner's eight shots led the way, but no other New Jersey player had more than three. Newcomer Jaromir Jagr was completely silent in his first game with the Devils, registering a single shot on goal in just under 16 minutes of ice time. Coach Peter DeBoer offered a simple explanation to reporters: "It was one of those nights, the puck didn't go in."
OVERTIME
1. Veteran G Martin Brodeur, the NHL's all-time leader in victories and shutouts, will get the start for New Jersey.
2. The Islanders won three of five meetings last season, including a 3-1 triumph in their previous encounter on Long Island on April 1.
3. Tavares had three goals and two assists in the Islanders' first-round loss to the Penguins.