Jan 2, 2020; Brooklyn, New York, USA; New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov (40) defends his net against the New Jersey Devils during the third period at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
NHL: New Jersey Devils at New York Islanders
AP-Christian Arnold:
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (77 WABC) – The Nassau Coliseum has been long known as Fort Neverlose, but more recently it has become a place the Islanders just cant seem to win at.
The Islanders dropped their fourth straight game at the Coliseum on Thursday, falling 2-1 to the lowly New Jersey Devils in front of a sellout crowd. The Islanders already dropped games to the Nashville Predators, Anaheim Ducks and Columbus Blue Jackets on Coliseum ice before Thursdays defeat at the hands of New Jersey.
The Islanders havent won a game on Long Island since Dec. 14, when they defeated the Buffalos Sabres 3-2 in overtime.
“Weve lost four games here in this building,” Islanders head coach Barry Trotz said. “And really (against) non-playoff teams. … We had some chances early. We didnt bury it and they hung around. I think we really didnt take it to the next level unfortunately.
“Thats on us. No one else.”
Thursday marked the Devils first win at the Nassau Coliseum since 2013-14 season. New York had entered the game with a 10-0-1 record on home ice, which included going 4-0-0 at the Coliseum, dating back to March 29, 2014.
However, the loss highlighted a bigger problem for the Islanders, who have left valuable points on the table. They will play five of their next eight games at home – including one game at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
“I think its a concern for sure,” Ryan Pulock said about the losses at home. “We have to do a better job at home. Its important to take care of business at home and we havent done that here lately.”
"It was a pretty tight game overall. We had some good chances to score and we didn't. We just have to regroup and find a way in Toronto." – Ryan Pulock pic.twitter.com/pMaVGiDCV2
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) January 3, 2020
It was a goal from Nikita Gusev that served as the game-winner for the Devils. The Swiss forward won an offensive draw and charged his way towards the net, where he slid the puck past the leg of Isles starter Semyon Varlamov 1:09 into the third.
The Islanders had led for the better of the second period after Brock Nelson fired a blistering wrist shot from the slot past McKenzie Blackwood at 7:33 of the middle frame. P.K. Subban evened the score up at one with 1:27 left in second.
The win helped the Devils extend their point streak to five games and they picked up their third consecutive victory. It is New Jerseys first three-game win streak since December 2018.
https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1212946615121727488
“Were playing with confidence thats a big thing,” said Nico Hischier, who extended his point streak to four games with his third-period goal. “Were making plays if theyre there. From one guy to the last guy everyone digs in. Everybody wants to climb the standings and were really playing good hockey right now.”
The Devils have gone through quite a bit of change since the beginning of December. They fired their head coach John Hynes on Dec. 3 and traded Taylor Hall to the Arizona Coyotes on Dec. 16.
New Jersey has gone 5-2-1 since the Hall trade, which includes Thursdays win over the Islanders.
“We have been playing our systems well, weve been skating well,” Andy Greene said. “Weve done it throughout the year in spurts. A period here or there and now were starting to put games together. I think were just playing a really strong team game. Its a tough team to play against over there.”
