On Sept. 24, the New Jersey Devils hosted the New York Islanders for their second preseason game of the 2025-26 season. Despite facing a tough loss at the hands of the New York Rangers on Sunday, the Devils were undeterred. New Jersey came out with a strong team and proved to the Islanders that they mean business. The first period ended in a 1-1 tie, but in the second it was all New Jersey. They scored three goals and then closed out the third with two more before New York could even score their second. The Devils took the win, 6-2.
Devils Had a Strong Power Play
Half of the Devils’ six goals were scored on the power play. The Islanders took four penalties, and the Devils capitalized on all but one.
After Marc Gatcomb took a seat for tripping Timo Meier, the Devils made quick work of capitalizing on the two-man advantage, despite missing the chance just two minutes prior. Jack Hughes’ shot was saved by Marcus Hogberg. Hughes picked up his rebound and passed to Dougie Hamilton. With a blast, he scored the first goal of the game as the 5-on-3 neared its end.
Timo Meier, New Jersey Devils (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
Not even 30 seconds into the second period, the Islanders were called on another tripping penalty, this time on Nico Hischier. When play resumed on the extra-man advantage, Hischier and Jesper Bratt passed the puck back and forth to each other, looking for a scoring opportunity. Bratt had the puck and passed it to Hischier in the faceoff circle, and he scored to give the Devils the lead.
Early in the third period, the Islanders took a high-sticking penalty. With over a minute and 30 seconds left on the power play, Simon Nemec took a shot. The initial shot was blocked, but Evgenii Dadonov was in front of the net to collect the rebound. He took a second shot and scored the fifth goal of the game for the Devils.
In both preseason games the Devils have played so far, the special teams have been what has stood out the most. It looks like New Jersey will have a strong penalty kill and power play this upcoming season, which will make them a team to watch out for.
Devils Newcomers Meshing Well with the Veterans
Unlike the first preseason game, several Devils veterans slotted into the roster for this game. The likes of Hughes, Bratt, Hischier, Hamilton, etc. got their first taste of a game of the 2025-26 season. On top of this, the veterans got to play with several newcomers to the team. During the offseason, the Devils picked up quite a few players. Dadonov and Connor Brown are newcomers, as well as Luke Glendening, who is currently signed to a professional tryout agreement.
Related: 3 Takeaways From the Devils’ 5-3 Preseason Loss to the Rangers
As mentioned above, Dadonov scored a goal in the third period, but he was not the only newcomer to record a point in this game. Brown scored his first goal in the Devils’ red and black, with Ondrej Palat and Brenden Dillon picking up the assists. Glendening also picked up an assist.
The new additions to the Devils’ roster looked natural playing with their star players. Expect a strong start to the season if this ends up being the opening day lineup.
Devils’ Prospects Showing Promise
Ethan Edwards scored the Devils’ fifth goal of the game. Brett Pesce rocketed a shot towards the net four minutes into the third period but missed. Glendening picked up the puck from where it was behind the net and skated it around towards the front. He saw Edwards in front and passed to him. With a shot, he extended the Devils’ lead to four goals.
This game marked Edwards’ first time on NHL ice despite being drafted in 2020. He spent the majority of his time these past few seasons playing hockey at the University of Michigan. Towards the end of the 2024-25 season, he played his first ten games with the Devils’ American Hockey League affiliate team, the Utica Comets. He recorded three assists and was a plus-3.
Edwards came onto the ice and made a strong impact from the get-go. He played a total of 15:33 and was one of two defensemen to score a goal. Since Luke Hughes remains unsigned and Johnathan Kovacevic is out with an injury for several months, the Devils are looking to bolster their blue line. Could Edwards fill one of those roster spots?
Devils Head to the Island
The Devils will play their next preseason game on Friday, Sept. 26, when they take on the Islanders once more at UBS Arena at 7:00 PM EDT.
