abcnews
In a dominant home opener, the New York Islanders blanked the New Jersey Devils 6-0 on Saturday, fueled by Ilya Sorokin's 36-save performance—his 30th career shutout.
Six different Islanders found the back of the net: Simon Holmstrom, Brayden Schenn, Bo Horvat, Viktor Eklund, Ondrej Palat, and Casey Cizikas. The victory came after the Islanders dropped their season opener in Toronto against the Maple Leafs on Wednesday.
Matthew Schaefer, who on Tuesday became the youngest assistant captain in franchise history, chipped in with two assists.
For the Devils, Nico Daws made 26 saves in a losing effort, marking their first defeat of the season after opening with a win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Islanders seized control early in the second period when Holmstrom and Schenn scored 1:28 apart to build a 2-0 lead just five minutes in. Jean-Gabriel Pageau slid the puck past Jonas Siegenthaler's outstretched stick to set up Holmstrom's tally. Schaefer then set up Horvat on the power play to cap a three-goal second period.
Horvat was named the 16th captain in franchise history on Sept. 14.
Eklund, selected by the Islanders with the No. 16 pick in the 2025 NHL draft, assisted on Schenn's goal in the second period before scoring his first NHL goal midway through the third. Cal Ritchie picked up an assist on Eklund's goal. Palat scored 42 seconds later, finishing a pass from Cizikas to make it 5-0. Cizikas then added a short-handed goal to complete the scoring at 6-0.
Key Analysis
The Islanders' balanced attack and Sorokin's stellar goaltending proved too much for the Devils, who had started the season with a win. New York's special teams also contributed, with a power-play goal and a short-handed tally. The victory gives the Islanders momentum as they prepare to visit the New York Rangers on Tuesday, while the Devils will look to rebound when they host the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday.
Originally reported by abcnews.