NHL Picks and Predictions 10/4: New York Islanders at New Jersey Devils
These aren’t the New York Islanders of old. Nor are they the New York Islanders of the 80s. The New York Islanders are somewhere very much in between – no longer terrible but still not a legitimate contender.
The New Jersey Devils aren’t the Devils of old either. Gone are the days of reasonable Stanley Cup expectations, and here are a bunch of long-shot underdogs in the final days of a living legend in net. They already had one magical Stanley Cup run… maybe this group has a run in them as well.
Either way, this appears to be a matchup of two teams on the fringe of the playoffs in the Metropolitan division, which may prove to be one of the toughest in hockey this year. They’re evenly matched, but there’s a few things to consider in evaluating this game.
1st – Assuming they’re evenly matched, the Islanders have an edge here in that the Devils just skated last night. In a back to back, New Jersey could experience some fatigue.
2nd – The Devils are on their home opener. Expect motivated play and maybe a goal or two that eluded them in Pittsburgh.
Give me my Devils at home, possibly with Brodeur in net for the last time for one of these. I think the Devils figure it out.
3-2 Devils
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