Connor Brown’s third-period strike and David Rittich’s 23 saves lift Devils past Islanders

Three goals, two quick replies, one last edge

The first period passed without a goal, which made the second feel abrupt. New York broke through only 55 seconds into the middle frame when Cole Eiserman scored on a snap shot, with Vladimír Dravecký and Calum Ritchie collecting the assists. It was one of four shots credited to Eiserman, and for a short stretch it gave the Islanders exactly the kind of low-scoring script they could work with.

That lead barely had time to settle. Ryan Schmelzer answered at 3:59 of the second on a wrist shot set up by Ben Steeves and Ethan Edwards, restoring the tie less than three minutes after Eiserman’s opener. In a game that finished with just 46 total shots and only three goals, that immediate response mattered. It prevented the Islanders from building the evening around protecting a one-goal cushion and forced the matchup back into small, contested details.

Those details finally broke New Jersey’s way in the third. Connor Brown scored unassisted at 7:53, and that proved to be the winner. Brown finished with six shots, the highest total among Devils skaters listed here, so the decisive goal was not a surprise appearance as much as the payoff for a busy night. New Jersey did not bury the Islanders under volume — the teams were close in shots at 24-22 for New York — but Brown’s finish gave the Devils the one extra play the scoreboard demanded.

The numbers that bent the night

If the shot count suggested a toss-up, the faceoff circle told a different story. New Jersey won 33 draws to New York’s 14, a commanding 70.2 percent to 29.8 percent. Cody Glass went 14-for-23, Ryan Schmelzer was 6-for-8, Matyas Melovsky won five of seven, and Colin White took all five of his draws. The Islanders simply spent too much of the game trying to recover the puck after stoppages instead of starting with it.

That edge fits neatly beside another one: puck management. The Islanders were charged with 24 giveaways, compared with 18 for the Devils. In a one-goal game, six extra lost possessions matter. New York still worked hard enough to stay attached — the Islanders led 30-28 in hits and blocked 17 shots, including seven blocks from Matthew Kessel — but that kind of defensive labor often means a team is spending energy correcting earlier mistakes rather than directing play on its own terms.

Goaltending kept the margin tight to the end. David Rittich stopped 23 of 24 shots for a .958 save percentage, outdueling Vitek Vanecek, who made 20 saves on 22 shots. Neither club found much on the power play beyond the Islanders’ one conversion in four chances. New Jersey went 0-for-3 with the extra man, which is one reason the game stayed within a single bounce. But at even strength, Rittich and the Devils were just a little cleaner, and that was enough.

Our take: clean margins, clear lessons

Our take: this was the kind of 2-1 result that rewards discipline in the smallest parts of the game, and New Jersey earned it there. The Devils did not overwhelm New York on the shot clock, but they were better in the areas that often decide close hockey — faceoffs, giveaways and goaltending. Brown’s winner and Schmelzer’s equalizer supplied the obvious headlines, yet the larger story is that New Jersey created a steadier platform for those goals to matter.

For the Islanders, the path to a better version of this performance is not hard to spot. Winning only 29.8 percent of draws left them chasing too often, and 24 giveaways undercut what was otherwise a sturdy defensive effort. There were useful pieces here: Eiserman scored, Ritchie and Dravecký contributed on the goal, Kessel’s seven blocks stood out, and the penalty kill held the Devils scoreless on three power plays. But when a team loses by one despite outshooting the opponent 24-22, it is fair to look first at possession handed away rather than chances not taken.

For the Devils, the victory should feel encouraging without looking complete. Rittich was excellent, Brown drove volume with six shots, and the faceoff work was decisive. At the same time, six penalties for 12 minutes gave the Islanders four power-play opportunities, and New Jersey’s own power play finished 0-for-3. That combination can turn against a team quickly on another night. Still, as a single-game verdict, this was a composed and practical Devils win: not flashy, not loose, and ultimately settled by being a little sharper where the game kept asking the same question.

Scoring moments

1. 2nd · 0:55

   Cole Eiserman Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: Vladimír Dravecký (1), Calum Ritchie (1)

2. 2nd · 3:59

   Ryan Schmelzer Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Ben Steeves (1), Ethan Edwards (1)

3. 3rd · 7:53

   Connor Brown Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: none