The New Jersey Devils visit the New York Islanders on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 7:00 p.m. ET at UBS Arena, the first half of a back-to-back that ends Sunday, Nov. 8, at Toronto. They’re coming off a 5-4 overtime win over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, Nov. 5, in which Jesper Bratt scored 1:26 into overtime and Anthony Mantha had two goals and an assist after the Devils let a 4-1 third-period lead get away. The Devils (11-5-0) are second in the Metropolitan Division and 8-2-0 in their last 10 games.

New York (7-6-2) has lost two straight in regulation, 4-0 to Edmonton on Saturday, Oct. 31, and 5-3 to Carolina on Thursday, Nov. 5, and hasn’t won in regulation since Oct. 20. Saturday is the second of four meetings this season. The Islanders won the first one 6-0 on Saturday, Oct. 3, in their home opener, three weeks before the Devils acquired Connor Hellebuyck from Winnipeg.

Game Info

Devils Projected Lines

Projected from Daily Faceoff’s Friday, Nov. 6, update, which carries over the lineup the Devils used in Thursday’s win over St. Louis. We did not find a Devils practice report from Friday, so nothing has changed since that game. Brenden Dillon stays out, with Declan Chisholm and Johnathan Kovacevic on the third pair. The Devils haven’t named a starting goalie for the first half of the back-to-back. Daily Faceoff projects Jake Allen. Connor Hellebuyck has started four of the Devils’ last five games, and Allen took the second half of their last back-to-back, Wednesday, Oct. 28, at Colorado. Roster and injury details were checked against PuckPedia and NHL.com.

Islanders Projected Lines

Projected from Daily Faceoff’s Friday, Nov. 6, update, which reflects the line changes Islanders coach Pete DeBoer made at Friday’s practice. Heineman moves up with Horvat and Palmieri, Palat moves to Schenn and Eklund, and Holmstrom joins Pageau and Duclair. Eklund and Palmieri also swapped power-play units. DeBoer said after Saturday’s optional morning skate that Ben Hutton, who signed a one-year contract Thursday, will make his Islanders debut in place of Scott Mayfield, and that Mathew Barzal and Matias Maccelli will not play. Daily Faceoff lists Sorokin as the likely starter. Varlamov started Thursday against Carolina.

Injuries

Five Things to Know

New York has won six straight against the Devils and is 8-0-1 in the last nine meetings, per NHL.com. New Jersey has scored four goals in those six losses and was shut out three times: 1-0 on April 13, 2025, 9-0 on Jan. 6, 2026, and 6-0 on Oct. 3. The Devils’ last win in the series was 4-3 in overtime at UBS Arena on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024.

Hellebuyck is 4-0-0 with a 2.44 goals-against average and a .891 save percentage since the trade, and he made 28 saves on 32 shots Thursday, his most shots faced with the Devils. He has 349 career wins, one shy of 350 (NHL.com, Hockey-Reference). Allen is 5-3-0 with a 3.11 GAA and a .887 save percentage. He hasn’t played since facing 45 shots in a 5-2 loss at Colorado on Oct. 28. With Toronto on Sunday, Nov. 8, and Hellebuyck’s return to Winnipeg on Tuesday, Nov. 10, the split matters beyond Saturday. Ilya Sorokin is 6-4-0 with a 2.41 GAA and a .911 save percentage, and his one shutout was the 37-save game against the Devils on Oct. 3. Semyon Varlamov is 1-2-2 with a 2.72 GAA.

The Devils’ penalty kill is 67.6% (12 power-play goals allowed in 37 times shorthanded), 29th in the NHL. The Islanders’ power play is 14.6% (7-for-48), 29th, and 1-for-18 over its last five games, per NHL.com. Going the other way, New York’s penalty kill is 86.5%, fifth in the league, against a Devils power play that is 18.0% (9-for-50), tied for 22nd. The Islanders also win 55.5% of their faceoffs, second in the NHL (NHL.com).

New Jersey averages 32.9 shots per game, second in the NHL, and allows 25.0, fifth fewest. The Islanders average 25.6 shots, 26th, and allow 27.1 (NHL.com). At 5-on-5, the Devils have 36.3 expected goals for and 27.9 against, a 56.5% share, and have outscored opponents 38-31. The Islanders are at 30.6 expected goals for and 28.6 against, a 51.7% share, and are 28-27 in goals at 5-on-5, per Post Hockey. Post Hockey’s numbers are provisional. The Devils outshot the Islanders 37-32 on Oct. 3 and still lost by six.

Jack Hughes leads the Devils with 21 points (8 goals, 13 assists) and has nine points in his last five games. He has 449 career points, one shy of 450. Nico Hischier has 498 career points (206 goals, 292 assists) and needs two for 500. He has one point in his last four games. Arseny Gritsyuk is tied with Hughes for the team lead with eight goals, and Luke Hughes has six. For the Islanders, 19-year-old defenseman Matthew Schaefer leads the team with 15 points (4 goals, 11 assists), and Bo Horvat has seven goals, four on the power play. Victor Eklund scored his first NHL goal against the Devils on Oct. 3 and had a goal and an assist Thursday.

Head-to-Head

The Islanders won 6-0 at UBS Arena on Saturday, Oct. 3, with six different goal scorers: Simon Holmstrom, Brayden Schenn, Bo Horvat on the power play, Victor Eklund, Ondrej Palat and Casey Cizikas shorthanded. Sorokin stopped all 37 shots, and Nico Daws, since traded to Winnipeg in the Hellebuyck deal, made 26 saves on 32 shots. Last season, New York won all four meetings: 3-2 in overtime at Prudential Center on Nov. 10, 2025, 2-1 at UBS Arena on Dec. 23, 9-0 at UBS Arena on Jan. 6, 2026, and 3-1 at Prudential Center on Feb. 5.

The Bottom Line

On paper, the Devils are the better team. They have more points, more shots and better 5-on-5 numbers, and the Islanders’ power play has barely produced. But New York has won six straight in this series, Sorokin shut the Devils out a month ago, and New Jersey’s penalty kill gives the Islanders a chance to get their power play going. The goalie call for the back-to-back is the big lineup question. Check our Devils lines page, injury report, schedule and standings page for the latest.