The New Jersey Devils will hit the road for the first time this season when they visit the New York Islanders on Friday night.
The Devils didn’t take advantage of a three-game homestand to open the season. After beating the Detroit Red Wings in the season opener, they lost a shootout against the Arizona Coyotes and then dropped a 4-3 decision to the Florida Panthers on Monday.
New Jersey has had plenty of time to prepare for the Islanders, and coach Lindy Ruff hopes to see some improvement.
“We need more out of a lot of guys,” Ruff said. “This isn’t about one guy. We need more out of our group.”
Ruff sent a message to high-scoring winger Timo Meier on Monday, benching him for most of the third period.
Meier, who the Devils acquired from the San Jose Sharks for their playoff push last season, seemed to get the message. He was the first player on the ice for Tuesday’s practice.
“I knew what happened. Me and Lindy talked. We both have the same view. (Things) happen,” Meier said. “The sun came up again this morning. It’s a new day. You go out and work as hard as you can. What’s in the past is in the past. You look forward.”
The Devils could be down two forwards when they take the ice on Friday. Erik Haula (upper body) and Tomas Nosek (lower body) did not practice on Tuesday or Thursday and are considered day-to-day.
New York is coming off a 1-0 win against the visiting Coyotes on Tuesday. The Islanders surrendered just 14 shots on goal, the fewest New York goalie Ilya Sorokin has faced in an NHL start.
“That’s part of a goaltender’s makeup,” Islanders head coach Lane Lambert said. “To keep yourself sharp, regardless of what kind of workload you’re getting on any given night, I think (Sorokin) is very good at that. He’s very focused.”
Sorokin was the first goalie off the ice at practice on Thursday.
New York also plays on Saturday against the host Buffalo Sabres, so Semyon Varlamov likely will start the second game of the back-to-back set.
The Islanders could also be down a key player, as veteran defenseman Scott Mayfield missed the Arizona game with a lower-body injury and did not practice on Thursday. He has not skated since Saturday and is also listed as day-to-day, Lambert said.
Mayfield is one of the key players on the penalty-kill unit for New York, but Noah Dobson filled in for him effectively against Arizona. He contributed 2:44 of penalty-kill time while helping the Islanders thwart all three short-handed situations.
“He’s a smart player,” Lambert said of Dobson. “Noah has killed penalties in practice. When he first came in and was playing some nights, and some nights he wasn’t, he killed penalties in practice a lot. This is a guy who’s a very smart player, and he understands the nature of the penalty kill and where to be, so he has good reads on that.”
Samuel Bolduc moved into the starting lineup in place of Mayfield, his first playing time since Game 2 of the first-round playoff matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes last season. Bolduc played 9:19 against the Coyotes.
–Field Level Media
