It did not result in any goals, but what the Islanders did to the Devils in the middle of the second period Thursday night — while already holding a three-score lead — was an imposing of their will.
For a prolonged stretch, the Islanders suffocated the Devils with chances in their own end. Just when the puck exited their offensive zone, the Islanders picked a pocket and got it right back in, leaving a few tired Devils stuck on the ice as the Nassau Coliseum crowd roared.
It was fitting scene on a dominant night for the Islanders, who won their third straight by cruising past the Devils 4-1.
“One of the things you want to do is try to pull the life out of them after the first period,” Islanders coach Barry Trotz said.
That stretch — which kept defenseman Sami Vatanen on the ice for 3:15 and partner Andy Greene and center Travis Zajac for 3:03, while the Islanders rolled through three lines and all three defensive pairs — certainly sufficed.
“When it came to the competitive areas of the game … it was men against boys,” Devils coach John Hynes said.
With their third win in three games this season against the Devils (18-22-7), the Islanders improved to 13-3-0 over their past 16 games and 27-15-4 overall. They have surged up the Metropolitan Division standings, and now are one point behind the first-place Blue Jackets and Capitals, with the Stanley Cup champs waiting in Washington for a Friday night showdown.
“You know where you stand,” said captain Anders Lee, who opened and closed the scoring with a pair of goals. “We’ve been working extremely hard to get to where we’re at. There’s a lot of season left and a lot of climbing to continue, but we just want to keep improving and keep taking that next step.”
Robin Lehner continued to roll in net, making 16 saves to move to 10-1-0 over his past 11 appearances.
The Islanders, now 4-1-1 at the Coliseum, put just five shots on goal in the first period, but missed only two of them to storm out to a 3-0 lead with goals from Lee, Michael Dal Colle and Jordan Eberle on the power play.
Dal Colle’s goal was a keeper, the first of his career in his 14th NHL game as he redirected a shot from Scott Mayfield at 9:19. Since training camp, the rookie has changed Trotz’s impressions of him “massively,” the coach said. Still, he was a candidate to be scratched had Tom Kuhnhackl not shown up sick to Thursday’s morning skate.
“I’ve envisioned it for so long, ever since I started playing when I was like 4,” Dal Colle said. “All the work I’ve put in, all the sacrifices my family has made for me to play this game, it’s just a special moment for my family.”
The Devils got one back on Andy Greene’s goal at 7:07 of the third period. But they otherwise struggled to get sustained pressure. Lehner only faced 17 shots and lowered his league-leading goals-against average to 2.11.
“When your goalie’s really calm, so is your team,” Trotz said.
Lehner’s mostly quiet night may have earned him another start Friday in Washington. By the end of the night, the Islanders could find themselves all alone atop the division with a win and a Blue Jackets loss in regulation.
“I think it’s validated a lot of our belief of what we have in the room and the hard work we’ve put in and the potential we can fulfill here and continue to grow,” Lee said. “We hope to think that we’re only scratching the surface.”