Devils @ Islanders 3/4/12 PREVIEW

Sunday's divisional matchup between the New York Islanders and the New Jersey Devils will be a milestone for a specific Devil, and the finale to their four game road trip. Petr Sykora will participate in his 1,000th career game. The Isles playoff dreams have been taken away, and New Jersey is looking to get hot again. Coming off a huge win against Washington, Jersey will have to stay awake and not underestimate the Islanders. Fatigue, I assume, sets in when you have a four game road trip, but the Devils know there is no room for it.


Islanders goalie, Evgeni Nabokov, is 10-4-1 in his last 15 starts. Will he have what it takes to beat Jersey's team? Well I am just going to say that I think he will need some goal support. On the other side of the ice, it will be interesting to see who the Devils start in net. If I were to guess, I would go with Hedberg. Brodeur got his rest, but Hedberg's shut-out against Washington is worthy of another go at things.

Regarding the skaters, Islanders' forward Frans Nielson, who signed a contract extension this season, will be seeking his first point against the Devils this season along with many others on New York. The season series is split at one, but the two teams play three times in the span of a week, and then once more in early April. Neighboring the Islanders' bench will of course be head coach Peter Deboer's Devils and Calder Trophy favorite, Adam Henrique. Henrique has three points in two games against the Islanders this year and will have no plans of slowing down. Hopefully he can add to his totals! Keep it up Jersey!