The Islanders can punch their ticket to the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs tonight.
With a magic number of two entering play on Monday, the New York Islanders (37-27-16) sit on the verge of a playoff spot as they face the New Jersey Devils (38-38-5).
Puck drop from Prudential Center is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Monday's game is against a team the Islanders are 0-2-1 against this season.
In their last matchup, the Devils blanked the Islanders 4-0, thanks to three second-period goals from Timo Meier, Jack Hughes, and Alexander Holtz.
Add on an empty-net goal and 36 saves from Kaapo Kahkonen, and New Jersey picked up a 4-0 win at what seemed like rock bottom for New York.
Since that contest, however, the Islanders are 7-1-1 and can have an "x" next to their name at the end of the night. The Islanders could also get in by way of losses from the Washington Capitals, Detroit Red Wings and/or the Pittsburgh Penguins, but that all hinges on if the Islanders can take care of business.
"It's right there," Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said about third place. "The focus is about playing every game. And now that it's there, we still have to focus on the game. I just want to make sure that we focus on playing a good game. We are playing a team that's fast, a team that has been playing some good hockey and we're gonna have to be ready for them."
Where They've Been:
The Devils faced off with a team that is also in the hunt for a Wild Card spot, the Philadelphia Flyers. Neither team found the back of the net in the bookend periods of play, but the difference-making goal came in the second period off the stick of Travis Konecny 10:50 into the frame. That one goal was enough for Samuel Ersson, who pitched a 20-save shutout in a 1-0 Flyers win.
Players To Watch:
After getting the day off against the New York Rangers on Saturday, Semyon Varlamov will make his 27th start of the season on Monday (13-8-4, 2.66 GAA, .916 SV%). Varlamov last started against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, making 14 saves in a 3-2 win. Against the Devils, he is 8-4-0 with a 1.83 GAA and .933 SV%, most recently earning the win with 25 saves on 29 shots in a 5-4 win on Dec. 9, 2022.
The entire Islanders' second line, Kyle Palmieri, Brock Nelson, and Hudson Fasching, recorded two points on Saturday. Nelson's two-goal game extended his point streak to three games; the forward has two red lights and two helpers in that span. His linemate, Kyle Palmieri, has points in five straight games, totaling four goals and three assists.
Despite being kept off the board in the first three meetings, Anders Lee leads the active Islanders in goals against New Jersey with 14. Mathew Barzal leads the team in assists and points against them with 18 and 24, respectively.
Jake Allen will make the start on Monday for New Jersey, it will be his 33rd start and 34th appearance of the season (12-17-4, 3.43 GAA, .897 SV%). He last started against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, making 27 saves in a 6-5 win. Against the Islanders, he is 2-4-0 with a 4.46 GAA and .855 SV%, his last start against them coming on Nov. 4, 2021, with the Montreal Canadiens; he let up five goals on 25 shots in a loss.
While Jack Hughes will be out of the lineup for the Devils, his brother Luke has his share of success against the Islanders this season. The defenseman has points in all three games, totaling a goal and two assists. Timo Meier has also been successful against New York, tallying a goal and three assists in two appearances this season.
With Jack Hughes absent from the lineup, Nico Hischier is the Devils' leading goal-scorer against New York, totaling six red lights. Ondrej Palat leads in the remaining offensive categories with 15 helpers and 19 points.
New York Islanders Projected Lines:
Casey Cizikas -- Bo Horvat -- Mathew Barzal
Hudson Fashing -- Brock Nelson -- Kyle Palmieri
Anders Lee -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Pierre Engvall
Matt Martin -- Kyle MacLean -- Cal Clutterbuck
Alexander Romanov -- Sebastian Aho
Adam Pelech -- Ryan Pulock
Mike Reilly -- Robert Bortuzzo
Semyon Varlamov
Ilya Sorokin
*MacLean left practice early on Sunday after feeling sick. Patrick Roy said he should be good to go on Monday.
New Jersey Devils Projected Lines:
Timo Meier -- Nico Hischier -- Jesper Bratt
Alexander Holtz -- Erik Haula -- Dawson Mercer
Ondrej Palat -- Tomas Nosek -- Shane Bowers
Kurtis MacDermid -- Chris Tierney -- Nolan Foote
Luke Hughes - -John Marino
Kevin Bahl -- Brendan Smith
Jonas Siegenthaler -- Simon Nemec
Jake Allen
Kaapo Kahkonen
*Line combinations per The Hockey News' Kristy Flannery
How To Watch:
The game will be available on MSGSN2. On the radio, the game will air on 88.7 FM WRHU, 103.9 LI News Radio and 1050 AM ESPN.