UNIONDALE, N.Y. - The Islanders have dominated their Metropolitan Division rivals this season, a key reason they are enjoying the best start in franchise history. The Islanders took advantage of another division opponent Saturday at Nassau Coliseum, with a 3-1 victory against the Devils in the teams' first meeting this season.
Jaroslav Halak, the veteran goalie, made 34 saves, including 16 in the third period, as the Islanders survived a two-man disadvantage for 55 seconds in the closing minutes as Brock Nelson and Calvin de Haan were sent off for separate infractions. Halak stopped Jaromir Jagr and Marek Zidlicky on point-blank shots before Casey Cizikas sealed the hard-fought victory with an empty-net goal.
The Islanders improved to 9-2-0 at home in their final season on Long Island, and are 8-2-0 against division rivals. Both teams entered Saturday's game coming off losses from the day before - the Devils squandered a 4-1 lead at home before losing in a shootout to Detroit, while the Islanders fell at Washington, 5-2.
Each team was also missing key players to injury - defensemen Johnny Boychuk and Lubomir Visnovsky were out for the Islanders, and centers Travis Zajac and Adam Henrique sat for the Devils.
Early on the game had to the look of teams playing on consecutive days until Nikolay Kulemin broke through to put the Islanders ahead at 12 minutes 40 seconds of the first period when he tapped a rebound of a Kyle Okposo slapshot past Devils goaltender Cory Schneider.
Damien Brunner answered for the Devils with a tip-in at 14:27.
Cal Clutterbuck put the Islanders back on top at 3:32 of the second with his third goal of the season.
The Islanders carried the play most of the first two periods, heading into the third with a 26-19 advantage in shots on goal and a 2-1 lead.
In an energetic third, the Devils raised their level of play but could not solve Halak, who won his ninth straight game. He has allowed only 11 goals in those nine wins.
The 29-year-old Halak, who joined the Islanders this past summer in perhaps the shrewdest move of General Manager Garth Snow's roster overhaul, improved to 11-4-0.
Save after save brought shouts of 'Jaro, Jaro' from the capacity crowd, announced at 16,170, at Nassau Coliseum, which the Islanders will vacate after the season for Brooklyn's Barclays Center.
'Our penalty killing came up huge and we held on,' Halak said in an on ice interview.
Thus, the Islanders head for December at 17-7-0, concluding November with an 11-3-0 record. Last season - when they finished last in the Metropolitan Division - the Islanders did not win their 17th game until Jan. 10. A big reason for the shift has been the turnaround in their record in the month of November.
Last season they were 4-10-1 in November after posting a 4-7-2 mark in 2011 - before the lockout of 2012 shortened that season to 48 games - and a 1-7-3 record in November 2010.
That is a combined 9-24-6 mark over the past three Novembers.
The Devils (9-11-4) are heading in the opposite direction. They were 6-3-2 on Nov. 1 after beating Columbus but they have gone 3-8-2 since.
The Devils have not made the playoffs the past two years after advancing to the finals in 2012, where they lost to the Los Angeles Kings in six games.
Schneider made 25 saves for the Devils, who fell 12 points behind the Islanders in the division race.
Being in playoff position on Thanksgiving carries particular weight for the Islanders, who have reached the postseason only twice since 2004 - in 2007 and 2013.
In the past four full N.H.L. seasons, 52 of the 64 teams that held playoff spots on the holiday went on to reach the postseason.
If the Islander can keep up this level of play, they will find themselves back in the postseason.
SLAPSHOTS
The Islanders honored Hall of Fame defenseman Denis Potvin before the game as part of the Nassau Coliseum's final season celebration. Potvin played his entire career with the Islanders from 1973 to 1988. ...Reserve defensemen Matt Donovan and Brian Strait dressed for the Islanders.
Posted by Unknown on Saturday, November 29, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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