The Islanders, in a hard push to secure their hold on the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot, played a playoff-style game with their physicality, forechecking and clogging of the neutral zone. It was a lesson for the speedy and playoff-bound Devils.
Kyle Palmieri scored twice and the Islanders snapped a two-game losing streak with a 5-1 win on Monday night at UBS Arena.
Ilya Sorokin made 30 saves for the Islanders (38-28-9), including 14 in the third period, as the Devils (46-20-8) mounted a sustained attack. But Palmieri snapped in a shot at 15:25 of the third period after the Devils turned the puck over deep in their zone.
