Recreation Story – Devils vs. Islanders – September 23, 2025 | New Jersey Devils – NHL.com

New Jersey take down the Islanders 6-2 of their second preseason sport.
NEWARK, NJ – The preseason lineups between the Devils and Islanders have been uneven, and so was the end result on Tuesday night time.
New Jersey iced a roster near full NHL power, whereas the Islanders left most of their regulars out and it actually carried onto the scoreboard, because the Devils managed from begin to end in a 6-2 rout of the Islanders.
Dougie Hamilton opened the scoring for New Jersey and Nico Hischier scored his first of the preseason within the victory. Each Devils targets courtesy of the primary energy play unit.
Connor Brown buried a cross-ice feed from Ondrej Palat within the second interval to provide the Devils a 3-1 lead. Brown’s snapshot from atop the best circle beat Marcus Hogberg earlier than Dawson Mercer’s first of the preseason made it a 4-1 rating for New Jersey.
Rookie defenseman Ethan Edwards buried his first preseason objective early within the third to make it 5-1, earlier than Evgenii Dadonov prolonged the lead with a power-play objective from his net-front positioning on the Devils sixth objective towards the Islanders.
Emil Heineman scored for New York within the first interval, whereas Calum Ritchie added the Islanders’ second objective halfway via the third.
Hear from Dougie Hamilton, Connor Brown, Simon Nemec and Coach Keefe after the preseason win.
Listed below are some observations from the sport:
• There have been actually huge variations within the caliber of rosters each the Devils and Islanders iced on Tuesday night time, and it confirmed up significantly within the first interval. Jacob Markstrom, who was scheduled to play only a single interval, solely confronted his first shot of the sport with 4:04 left within the interval when the Islanders have been on the ability play. By that time, New Jersey had already constructed a 1-0 lead and a 15-0 shot benefit.
The facility play objective by Emil Heineman tied the sport at 1.
Markstrom’s night time ended, as deliberate earlier than the beginning of the sport, after the primary interval, later changed by Georgi Romanov.
• With an in depth to finish NHL lineup, the Devils have been in a position to get in some work with their common energy play items, with the primary unit contributing two targets (Hamilton, Hischier). The primary unit consisted of Hischier, Hamilton, Jack Hughes, Dawson Mercer, and Jesper Bratt, whereas the second unit included Simon Nemec, Ondrej Palat, Timo Meier, Arseny Gritsyuk, and Evgeni Dadonov.
Not like within the first preseason sport, Gritsyuk began his energy play alternative on the best facet, the identical facet the place he scored his energy play objective late within the first sport towards the Rangers. Within the first preseason sport, he started his man-advantage alternatives on the left, earlier than he was moved to the best, the place he was in a position to execute his one-timer with extra accuracy and confidence.
• The Devils third line of Ondrej Palat, Luke Glendening and Connor Brown is an intriguing one. Glendening is with New Jersey on a tryout, however has appeared like he is match into the Devils mildew within the first two video games he is performed. Significantly on Tuesday night time, with two fellow NHL veterans on his wings, the Glendening line supplied
• Tuesday night time was an evening of second alternatives for a few Devils who additionally suited up within the first preseason sport. Arseny Gritsyuk, Juho Lammikko, Luke Glendening, Brian Halonen, and Ethan Edwards are the 5 gamers who’ve now performed within the opening two video games.
Sheldon Keefe spoke on Tuesday morning concerning the technique of giving gamers alternatives in coaching camp, whereas additionally being conscious of needing to slender down his group towards the latter half of the preseason to organize for the yr. The Devils have but to make any cuts at camp and could have their first off-day on Wednesday.
“I feel we’ll have some conversations,” Keefe mentioned on Tuesday morning. “Fitzy and the employees will make these choices. It is tough since you nonetheless want guys. You are not going to play everyone within the closing two exhibition video games. It stays to be seen how we’ll handle that.”

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