The New Jersey Devils faced a little bit of adversity in their most recent preseason game against the New York Islanders. This was a game at The Rock, and Devils fans wanted to see the NHL players that were in the lineup light the scoresheet on fire.
That is exactly what they did. The reference to adversity is the fact that the New Jersey Devils went down 2-0. Matt Barzal and Brock Nelson scored goals for the Islanders, so the Devils needed to make a good comeback.
John Marino scored a goal thanks to some really nice plays made by Kevin Bahl, Tyler Toffoli, and Jack Hughes. Only the former two received assists, but everyone was needed to allow Marino to have that kind of look on the net.
After that, Jesper Bratt scored two straight goals to give the Devils a 3-2 lead. Toffoli assisted on both of the goals which was great to see as he tries to find some chemistry with his new linemats.
The New Jersey Devils did what they needed to do to stay unbeaten.
The Islanders would soon tie it back up at three, but then John Marino scored his second of the night to give the Devils lead back for good. Jack Hughes would then add some insurance. Eventually, Jesper Bratt completed the hat trick, and the Devils hung on to win by a score of 6-5.
It was a roller-coaster type of game for both teams, and the Devils prevailed to bring their preseason record to 5-0-0. Few teams are as ready for the regular season to start as the New Jersey Devils. In fact, they are the only undefeated team remaining in the preseason.
With the expectations that this franchise has right now, it is great to see them coming out strong in the preseason. They need to continue growing their game and be ready for when things count for real next week.
None of this is meaningful unless they win the games that do count as well. All of the right players are playing well in the exhibition season so far which is a great sign for what’s to come. With a roster this talented, it should be a ton of fun to watch all year long. The preseason is just a nice little appetizer.