As we hit the second month of the NHL season, it’s time to check in on our local teams. Here’s how November is shaping up for the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers and New York Islanders.
The Devils stumbled out of the gate this November, falling to the Calgary Flames 0-3 and losing left-wing Nathan Bastian in the first period due to roughing. Since then, they’ve turned things around, winning four of their last five games.
On Nov. 4, they won against the Edmonton Oilers 3-0, powered by goals from Jesper Bratt, Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier. Goaltender Jake Allen shined with 31 saves, earning his 26th career shutout. Their next win came on Nov. 7 against the Montreal Canadiens with a score of 5-3. Goals were scored by Jack Hughes, Ondrej Palat, Jonas Siegenthaler and Bratt, who clinched two.
On Nov. 9, Hughes played hero in overtime, scoring the game-winning goal against the Islanders for a 4-3 win. Hughes, Noesen and Dawson Mercer found the back of the net for the Devils, while Simon Holmstrom, Dennis Cholowski and Brock Nelson scored for New York.
Their winning streak was broken when San Jose Shark Nico Sturm was the only to score on Nov. 10, resulting in a 0-1 loss. They came back hard on Nov. 12, breaking the Florida Panthers’ seven-game win streak by defeating them 4-1. Goals came from Hughes, Meier, Palat and Paul Cotter, with Jacob Markstrom acquiring 34 saves. The Devils now stand 11-6-2 and will face the Panthers again on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m.
The Rangers opened November with a win over the Ottawa Senators 2-1, thanks to goals from Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere.
Panarin went on to score two goals on Nov. 3 in the 5-2 win against the Islanders. Chris Kreider, Vincent Trocheck and Adam Edstrom made the other goals for the team, while Casey Cizikas and Nelson were able to get past goalkeeper Igor Shesterkin for the Islanders’ two goals. Ilya Sorokin and Shesterkin both obtained 35 saves.
Although spirits were high, their next game resulted in a brutal 1-6 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 7. After goals from Rasmus Dahlin, Dylan Cozens, Tage Thompson, Jordan Greenway and Sam Lafferty — which gave the Sabres a 5-0 lead with only 12 shots on goal — the Rangers replaced Shesterkin with Jonathan Quick. In the third period, Will Cuylle scored for the Rangers and Zach Benson for the Sabres.
They bounced back on Nov. 9 with a 4-0 shutout win against the Detroit Red Wings. Quick achieved his 61st career shutout with 37 saves, while Panarin, Kreider, Jimmy Vesey and Reilly Smith scored.
On Nov. 12 however, the team suffered a 3-6 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. Cuylle, Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko each scored for the team. Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor were each able to score twice for the Jets, with Gabriel Vilardi and Vladislav Namestnikov also adding goals for their seventh straight win. The Rangers sit 9-4-1 and will host the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m.
While the Islanders were defeated by both the Devils and the Rangers, they did win 4-3 against the Sabres on Nov. 1, 4-3 against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Nov. 5 and 4-2 against the Senators on Nov. 7.
Bo Horvat, Maxim Tsyplakov, Kyle Palmieri and Jean-Gabriel Pageau made the four goals while Sorokin stopped 32 shots. The goals for the Sabres were made by Dylan Cozens, Jason Zucker and Owen Power.
The Nov. 5 game against the Penguins was a nail-biter, as the Islanders won in a 4-3 shootout thanks to Horvat. The prior three goals were made by Palmieri, Holmstrom and Pageau.
Horvat and Pageau once again displayed their talents in the win against the Senators on Nov. 7 with one goal each. The other two were scored by Oliver Wahlstrom and Anders Lee. However, they went on to lose to the Oilers in overtime on Nov. 12 with a score of 3-4, despite goals from Lee and Palmieri.
Connor McDavid was able to score in overtime for the Oilers to win. The Islanders now sit 6-6-4 and their next game will be on Nov. 14 against the Vancouver Canucks.
ajones11@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @njdevils, Instagram
