The Islanders dominated the first period and managed to get several quality chances, capitalizing on two of them. They also gave the Devils nothing to work with and essentially completely shut down any offense from New Jersey.
Despite getting outshot in the second period, New York continued to get the better share of the chances, including multiple 2-on-1 opportunities. The third period involved more posts than odd-man rushes but you get the idea – the Islanders were getting the better opportunities throughout the entire game. According to NaturalStatTrick.com, the high-danger scoring chances at the end of the game were 16-2 for New York. Frankly, the score probably could’ve been worse than 4-1.
On another note, it took a little over seven periods but finally, Semyon Varlamov allowed a goal and strange enough, it was one he probably should’ve had. That said, he was solid throughout the win and made the saves he needed to, despite not facing a ton of difficult opportunities.
This was a really well-rounded win for the Islanders. The forward group looked really strong and New York completely outchanced the Devils, on route to their third win of the season.
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Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted in a future article):
Are you happy with the Islanders' start to the season?