Islanders 4, Devils 2: Five observations from the preseason opener

The Devils dropped their preseason opener at the hands of he Islanders. Let's take a closer look at the good and the bad.

Follow along on Twitter @ToddCordell | @InfernalAccess

Be sure to join the Discord channel to talk hockey with our writers and subscribers.

---

A few notes following New Jersey’s preseason-opening defeat at the hands of the New York Islanders:

The energy line impressed

All off-season I opined Paul Cotter, Curtis Lazar, and Nathan Bastian made a lot of sense as a 4th line.

Although Cotter has the ability to play higher up the lineup – at least on occasion – the three just seemed like a perfect fit stylistically to hem opponents into their own zone and create a lot of juice for the Devils. That’s exactly what they did against the Islanders.

They forechecked with purpose from start to finish and created some turnovers with their pressure. They also did a great job keeping things north-south and taking pucks directly to the net.

The Devils as a team generated only eight high-danger chances at 5v5. Exactly half of them came off the sticks of Lazar and that energy line.

Cotter showed flashes of skill and looked more comfortable and dangerous carrying the puck than any of his linemates. Lazar worked his ass off around the net to find space and pounce on some pucks around the paint. And Bastian threw his weight around like he so often does, finishing tied for the team lead in hits at evens.

I thought they were excellent and made a great case to remain together when the games count.

Dougie’s back!

Seeing Hamilton in the lineup hammering pucks was a sight for sore eyes. He wasted no time letting that cannon go on his very first shift of the game. It was a sign of things to come as Hamilton attempted a game-high 10 shot attempts at 5v5 alone.

He was wiring pucks towards the net any and every time he had a moment to fire from the point. He was almost too trigger-happy.

At any rate, it was great to have Hamilton in the lineup teeing off on pucks like his usual self. The Devils were quite pass-happy at times last season and will benefit from having someone of Hamilton’s caliber ripping pucks at a high volume each night.

Not only is he a legitimate threat to score, but his shot provides plenty of rebound opportunities – opportunities the Devils are better equipped to capitalize on with new net-crashers like Stefan Noesen and Paul Cotter in the fold.

Dynamic ability was missing