Devils vs Islanders

With the Devils coming in 2-3 over their last five after a rough December that included a four-game skid, and the Islanders having quietly steadied to a 4-2 run in their past six, recent form leans slightly toward New York but not decisively. The injury sheet is a bigger swing factor: New Jersey’s only notable absence is depth winger Evgenii Dadonov on injured reserve, while the Islanders are missing top scorer Bo Horvat (21 goals, 33 points) and fellow veteran finisher Kyle Palmieri, with rookie defender Matthew Schaefer a game‑time call, which thins their center depth and secondary scoring. Head-to-head, the Islanders have taken both meetings this season (3-2 OT in Newark and 2-1 at UBS), continuing a longer pattern of Sorokin success against the Devils, but Hughes’ 11 goals and 18 points in 21 career games versus New York suggest he’s due for some regression after being shut down in the first two matchups. With both teams at 42 games played and the Isles sitting second in the Metro on 50 points while the Devils are sixth with 46 and on the wrong side of the wild-card tiebreakers, New Jersey has a bit more urgency, and their relatively healthy core of Hughes, Hischier, Bratt and Meier against a short-handed Islanders spine is enough to justify laying the small road price despite New York’s goaltending and home-ice edge. I’ll lean to New Jersey on the moneyline at -120, but with the Isles’ structure, recent head-to-head dominance and the Devils’ inconsistency, this is more of a modest edge than a slam dunk, so it earns a B- grade. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 06/01/2026 09:34 ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nhl/team/roster/_/name/nj/new-jersey-devils))

The total of 5.5 is shaded toward the under for good reason given how these rosters and recent trends line up: through 42 games the Devils have scored 114 and allowed 124 goals (roughly 2.7 for and 3.0 against per night), while the Islanders sit exactly even at 120 goals for and against, and both teams have been involved in a steady diet of lower-event games since early December. New Jersey’s offense just came out of a stretch highlighted by a 4-0 shutout loss in Toronto and an extended run of games with three or fewer goals scored, and now faces either Sorokin, who owns an 8-5-2 record with a 2.66 goals-against and .914 save percentage in his career against the Devils, or an in-form Rittich. On the Islanders’ side, losing Horvat and Palmieri removes two of their primary finishers and pushes them toward a more conservative, Barzal-driven attack built around grinding shifts from Lee, Pageau and a deep blue line featuring Pulock, Pelech and Romanov. Historically, this matchup has been tight: this season’s meetings have finished 3-2 (OT) and 2-1 for New York, and Sorokin posted a 1-0 shutout in Newark last April, all comfortably under this number. With both teams essentially at the halfway mark of the schedule and separated by just four points in a jammed Metro and Eastern wild-card race, the incentive to keep things locked down and avoid the high-risk track meet is strong on both benches, making a 3-2 or 3-1 type game more likely than a shootout. The juice on Under 5.5 at -125 isn’t cheap, but the combination of recent scoring patterns, key offensive injuries for the Islanders, and the historical goaltending edge in this matchup makes it one of the stronger positions on the board tonight, worthy of a B+ grade. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 06/01/2026 09:34 ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025%E2%80%9326_New_York_Islanders_season))

If you like the Devils to edge this, the way these two teams are built and trending makes it difficult to project a multi-goal margin, which tilts the puckline value toward the Islanders catching the goal and a half despite their injury issues. Even during their rocky stretches, New York has played a high percentage of close games; over the past few weeks only a handful of their contests have been decided by more than two goals, and both meetings with New Jersey this season (3-2 OT and 2-1 for the Isles) cashed comfortably for anyone holding Islanders +1.5. The current injury situation actually reinforces a “keep it tight” script: Horvat’s absence forces Patrick Roy to lean even more heavily on Barzal, Lee and a deep defense corps, while Palmieri’s injury removes another shooter and nudges New York toward grinding, lower-variance hockey in front of either Sorokin or Rittich. On the Devils’ side, a largely healthy forward group driven by Hughes, Hischier, Bratt and Meier plus an improved, deeper blue line has raised their ceiling, but their negative goal differential (114 for, 124 against) and recent pattern of one-goal results show they’re not consistently blowing teams out, especially on the road where they’re just a tick over .500. With both clubs smack in the middle of the playoff race at roughly the halfway point, New York’s incentive to lock in defensively at home is strong, and that, combined with elite goaltending and strong historical results against the Devils, makes Islanders +1.5 an attractive way to get exposure to their ability to keep this close even if New Jersey sneaks out the win; the heavy -250 price caps the value, however, so this puckline recommendation lands at a B grade. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 06/01/2026 09:34 ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nhl/team/schedule/_/name/nyi/new-york-islanders))