Islanders, Devils set to open home-and-home series
Somehow, the Metropolitan Division rival New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils managed to play nearly three quarters of their respective schedules without facing each other.
That changes this weekend as the Islanders (26-20-10) and Devils (24-23-10) traverse the 13 miles that separates New York and Newark, N.J. for a home-and-home set, beginning with Saturday's contest at the Prudential Center.
"We're playing the Islanders twice, finally," said Devils goalie Cory Schneider, who will make his eighth consecutive start on Saturday. "We haven't seen them all year. Hopefully (Saturday) will be a good game."
These weekend games are extremely important to both teams.
By virtue of a 9-3-2 run under interim coach Doug Weight, the Islanders are just one point behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Meanwhile, the Devils have lost two of their last three games and were shut out, 3-0, on home ice by the Ottawa Senators Thursday night. The Devils are only five points out of a playoff spot, but, at the same time, only four points from last place in the conference.
"All these games are pretty much playoff games for us," said Anders Lee, who leads the Islanders with 22 goals. "We are in a position where we are chasing down teams, so it's kind of a fun spot to be in, especially with how we began the season. It's an exciting time."
Lee continued his recent hot play by scoring again in Thursday's 4-2 win over the New York Rangers. He now has 10 points (five goals, five assists) in his last eight games. Since Nov. 23, Lee has 21 goals, the third highest total in the league behind Montreal's Max Pacorietty (24) and Toronto rookie Auston Matthews (23).
Islanders captain John Tavares, who picked up a pair of assists against the Rangers, also is playing well of late. Tavares, who leads the club with 48 points, has 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) in his last 11 outings.
"It's coming to a point now where we've made all these games meaningful," Tavares said. "As they go, they just get more and more important with how tight the standings are and with fewer games remaining."
Saturday's game in New Jersey begins a stretch in which the Islanders will play 10 of their next 11 contests on the road. They are tied for the fewest road wins in the league this season, with just seven, making this upcoming stretch a real defining moment in the Islanders' season.
"We have a lot of road games coming up, and we have a (terrible) road record," Weight said. "No question we have to be better on the road. I plan to change some things on the road because it's needed, it's warranted."
The Devils are 8-5-1 over their last 14 games, but are barely treading water in the tough Eastern Conference. One reason for that is their inability to win consistently on home ice. The Devils split the first four contests of this five-game homestand and are just 2-7-2 in their last 11 at the Prudential Center.
The fact that they scored two goals or fewer in nine of their last 11 at home has not helped, nor has the fact that the Devils have the fewest goals in the East, and second fewest in the entire NHL this season.
"We have to focus on getting back to what works, and second opportunities, and the gritty goals that are scored this time of the year," said New Jersey's Kyle Palmieri, who is tied for the team lead with 15 goals.
The Islanders and Devils will meet again Sunday at the Barclays Center, and then twice more over the final 10 days of the regular season.