Hey Everyone,
Talk about a meaningful game for both teams tonight! The Islanders, off to a 2-0 start to their season, desperately need to keep things rolling at home. Remember what happened exactly one year ago to this day? A devastating 4-1 loss to the Devils — you know that the Islanders will not want to allow this to happen again. The Devils, needing a dominating performance, hope a statement win tonight on Long Island could begin another coming-out party. Even further, last year's win at UBS also happened to be game four of the season. That win catalyzed the Devils' 18-2-0 stretch through the next 20 games, including their franchise-record-tying 13-game win streak. The Devils are hoping history repeats itself with a decisive victory tonight!
It is no secret that the Devils are looking for a solid start to this game. In first periods this season, they've been outshot by 17 (13 - 39) and have conceded nine more slot shots than they've generated (8-17). In terms of first period goal scoring, the Devils are still looking for their first first-period goal of the season, while they've already given up three opposing goals from the slot.
Last year, in their game vs. the Islanders, the Devils came out like gangbusters and dominated right from the opening faceoff. In the first period alone, they conceded only three shots (13-3) and three scoring chances (16-3). Now, that is the way to start a period off! By the end of the game, the Devils outshot (42-17) and out-chanced (41-25) the Islanders by wide margins. Coach Ruff has probably shown the team clips of this game to remind them how impressive they can be when they put together a full 60-minute effort. 
Reunion time! Talk about eerie coincidences. Also on this day one year ago, coach Ruff officially put this line together at the start of a game for the first time.
And there was instant chemistry. They were a dominant force from the onset, as seen through their first 24:00 TOI. Unfortunately, it was short-lived, and lasted only three games due to Pally being shut down for an injury. Hopefully, this chemistry immediately sparks back up and this line remains a staple for a good chunk of the season. (MSG graphic from 10/22/2022)
This was a fun interview with Pally during the SJS pregame skate last year after his line's impressive performance against the Islanders. I want all smiles again going into Montreal!
Switching Bratter and Timo reunites the Jack/Timo duo. This begs one question: will it be Timo Time tonight on the Island?
I look to Jack to bring out the same electric Timo we saw in the playoff series vs. CAR when they were on a line. The duo combined for 10 points in 4 games, in which Timo had 4. At 5v5, they were on the ice for 50% of the Devils' goals (5/10) while only being on the ice for just 2 of the 17 goals against in that entire series; yes, this was 5v5. Talk about being defensively responsible!
As for Toffoli, he has 9 slot shots through 3 games and leads all NJD skaters in both on-ice Shots For % (47-23) & SAT% (90-36), so Ruff keeping him with Jack should be no surprise, despite no goals just yet. The fact he can play on his off-wing creates space and room for Jack because defenders have to respect Toffoli's ability to get to the inside.
Their line should have no shortage of ice time to get going tonight. In a small sample size, Jack's 22:28 average TOI this season ranks second among NHL centers, behind only Auston Matthews going into tonight. Last season, his 19:57 average TOI ranked him 21st. Even further, it's also worth noting that Ruff has a tendency to take advantage of Jack's pace and skill against an older, slower-styled Islanders team. Last season, Ruff gave Jack more ice time than usual when his team was playing the Islanders – Hughes averaged 22:34 TOI over 3 GP vs. NYI, including a career-high 26:13 on Dec. 9, 2022. That included a 6:02 shift, the longest shift in NHL history! Over the season series, Jack averaged 2:43 more TOI vs. NYI than his average vs. other teams (22:34 vs. 19:51).
So, Devils fans, you can expect to see #86 in white on the ice a lot tonight with his linemates, #73 & #28, who are both seeking their first goals of the season!
As for the other expected lineup changes, Erika and I will dig deep into those during our pregame show, starting at 7:00 PM! We'll also talk about the Devils needing more discipline, Timo and Marino being benched in the third period of the Panthers' game, and a look back at associate coach Travis Green's 970-game career as a player, which started with the Islanders.
-Sal
