The New York Islanders look to break out of their offensive woes when they visit the New Jersey Devils on Friday.
The Islanders lost 1-0 to Detroit on Tuesday, New York’s first contest without top-line forward Anthony Duclair, who is sidelined four to six weeks with a lower-body injury. It marked the third time through six games so far that the Islanders were shut out, even though they put 30 shots on Detroit goalie Alex Lyon.
Scoring has been a struggle for New York through the first few weeks of the season. The Islanders are last in the Eastern Conference (and tied for last in the NHL) with 14 goals.
Duclair shares the team lead with two goals and is tied for second with three points. Defenseman Noah Dobson leads the Islanders with four points.
“Duke, he’s a big addition to our team, and it’s very tough for him to go down the way he did and the process that he’s going to have to go through to get back,” Islanders captain Anders Lee said. “In the meantime, you hear it all the time, but we really do have to find a way to just plug the hole and fill those shoes and find some chemistry for those guys up top.”
Simon Holmstrom is getting the first chance to plug the hole. He skated alongside Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal on the top line in the loss to the Red Wings. He skated there again at practice Thursday and is expected to line up with them for the Friday game. The 23-year-old scored a career-high 15 goals last season, his second in the NHL, while recording 25 points in 75 games.
The Devils, meanwhile, are looking to get back on track after taking their third straight loss. They fell 5-3 at Detroit on Thursday despite outshooting the Red Wings 40-20. After opening the scoring, New Jersey twice erased a one-goal deficit to tie the game before Detroit ultimately scored a tiebreaking tally late in the third period.
New Jersey wound up with its fourth defeat in the past five games (1-3-1) after winning four of its first five. Despite the setback, which was preceded by a disappointing 8-5 home loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, the Devils are focused on the positive.
“I think we are all disappointed and angry right now, but I know we are going to use that (Friday) to come out with that anger inside a little bit and just pretty much (do) the same we did here,” Devils captain Nico Hischier said. “Clean up the little things, but we’ve got to bring exactly the same effort. I think you saw it out there what we can do, and hopefully we can bury a couple of more chances.”
Hischier scored twice in the defeat, giving him a team-leading seven goals, tied for second in the NHL. Both of his tallies came on the power play, bringing him to four with the man advantage this season — tied for the league lead and three shy of his career best set in 2022-23.
“He’s been great, consistently our best player for the most part,” New Jersey forward Erik Haula said. “Fun to watch him.”
