Islanders vs. Devils Preview: Can the Isles Slow a Hellebuyck-Powered New Jersey?

The Islanders need a result Saturday, and the opponent has changed shape since they last saw it. The Devils arrive at UBS Arena with Connor Hellebuyck in net and a record that suggests the trade has already changed the team's season. For an Islanders club that has lost its last two games in regulation, this is a chance to stop the bleeding against a divisional rival.

The Isles' most recent game was Thursday night against the Carolina Hurricanes. They showed some fight, but the problems they've carried all season caught up with them, most notably a power play that continues to struggle. It's the same story with a different opponent, and it's the thing to watch Saturday.

A new Devils team with a new goalie

New Jersey acquired three-time Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck from the Winnipeg Jets, and the early returns are hard to argue with. Hellebuyck's arrival has coincided with a 4-0-0 start in his personal record with the Devils, and the NHL noted that perfect mark on social media. The team as a whole is 5-1-0 since the trade was announced.

My read is that the record tells only part of the story. A goalie of Hellebuyck's calibre doesn't just stop pucks; he changes how a team plays in front of him. Defencemen take more calculated risks when they trust the last line of defence, and forwards can be more aggressive in the neutral zone knowing a bad read won't turn into a goal the other way. Teams that add an elite netminder in the middle of a season often see that confidence spread through the lineup within a few games, and that seems to be what's happening in New Jersey.

If Hellebuyck gets the start Saturday, the Islanders will face one of the most accomplished goaltenders in the league. Even if he doesn't, the Devils come in as a different team than the one the Isles beat in recent meetings.

The Devils are scoring and defending at a high level

Over their last ten games, New Jersey has gone 8-2, which puts them fifth in the Eastern Conference with 22 points. They're averaging four goals per game during that stretch while allowing only 2.5. That's a sharp combination of offence and defence, and it's the reason the Devils are a real threat rather than a team that's simply benefiting from a hot streak.

Jack Hughes is the engine. The centre leads the club with 21 points, split between 8 goals and 13 assists. When the top line is producing like this, it forces opposing coaches to choose between matching up against Hughes or against the rest of the forward group, and neither option is comfortable.

The Islanders have their own numbers to lean on. They are 7-2-0 in games where they score at least three goals, so the path to a win is fairly clear: get to three. The question is whether they can do it against a Devils team that has been giving up very little.

Special teams could decide it

This is where the matchup gets interesting. New Jersey's penalty kill ranks fourth-worst in the NHL, which is a real vulnerability. But the Devils lead the league in limiting how often opponents get power-play chances in the first place. So the Islanders may get fewer opportunities than they'd like, and the ones they do get may come against a unit that's been prone to leaking goals.

That's why the Isles need to convert when the chance comes. It's easy to say the answer is simply more power-play time, and that's partly true. But a team that has been inconsistent with a man advantage can't count on volume to fix the problem. Cashing in on the few opportunities they get matters more than the raw number.

Division games and the Metro picture

The Islanders have gone 1-2-0 against Metropolitan Division opponents so far. It's a small sample, and I wouldn't read too much into it, but getting back to .500 in divisional play would be a meaningful step, especially for a team coming off two regulation losses.

The wider Metro picture adds pressure. Carolina holds a six-game lead in the division, which makes catching the Hurricanes a steep climb. New Jersey, meanwhile, sits as the second-best team in the division. For the Islanders, the realistic goal in the standings is keeping pace with the Devils, because that's the race that's within reach. Finishing near the top of the Metro will depend on beating teams like New Jersey on a regular basis.

The goaltending matchup on the Island side

The Devils aren't the only team in the division with elite goaltending. Ilya Sorokin has put together a solid start to the 2026-27 season, with a 2.41 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage, both good for 10th in the NHL. His last two outings were less friendly, with the Oilers scoring four goals and the Wild scoring three. If Sorokin is in net, the Devils will need to be sharp, because he's capable of stealing a game when the team in front of him is struggling to generate offence.

What to watch Saturday

Saturday sets up as a clash between the Islanders' recent success against New Jersey and a Devils team that arrives on a hot streak. The history favours the Isles, but the current form favours the visitors, and that tension is what makes this game worth watching closely.

The two things I'd track are the power play and the early shot pattern. If the Islanders get a couple of man-advantage chances and convert one, the game shifts toward their preferred pace. If they go scoreless on the power play again, the Devils' structure and their goaltending will make it difficult to climb back. Watch how quickly the Isles reach three goals, because their winning formula depends on it.