New Jersey brings a slightly stronger attack into its matchup with the Islanders, but the gap looks narrow. Our grades give the Devils an edge up front while putting both teams on equal footing defensively. Against Ilya Sorokin, that makes the quality of New Jersey’s opportunities a more interesting issue than whether it can simply finish with more shots.
A small attacking edge, not a wide gap
Our offensive grades are C for the Devils and C- for the Islanders, with both clubs earning a B defensively. New Jersey also holds the higher overall grade, B- to C+. The Devils have the stronger profile, but New York’s matching defensive grade is a meaningful counterweight.
Our shots projections put New Jersey at roughly 30 and the Islanders at about 28. That’s a modest volume advantage, leaving plenty of room for shot quality and goaltending to shape the game. New Jersey needs to make its extra opportunities count; New York doesn’t need to dominate the shot total to stay competitive.
Sorokin will start for New York in its home opener. Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes center New Jersey’s first two forward lines, while Bo Horvat centers the Islanders’ first line. Those groups give this close attacking comparison a clear focal point: which team can create the better looks, rather than just more attempts?
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What the moneyline asks of New Jersey
The current moneyline makes New Jersey a modest road favorite at -135 with DraftKings. That fits the limited separation in our grades and shots projections, but the matchup advantage alone doesn’t establish that the price offers value. The Islanders’ defensive profile gives the favorite a real obstacle to clear.
There’s little current-season evidence to lean on yet. In their season openers, the Devils beat Philadelphia 3-2, while the Islanders lost 2-1 in Toronto. Both were one-goal games, giving us little reason to treat this matchup as a test between teams already far apart.
The deciding issue
New Jersey has the stronger attacking grade and a small projected shots advantage. New York answers with an equal defensive grade and Sorokin in net. The most important distinction is whether the Devils turn that extra volume into dangerous chances: sustained pressure would strengthen their case as the favorite, while low-quality attempts would leave the Islanders plenty of room to make their own offense count.
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