Both benches were shorthanded in ways that mattered for who got extra shifts. New Jersey opened camp without Nick Bjugstad, who had surgery to repair a torn pectoral and won't be back for 4 to 6 months, and with Johnathan Kovacevic easing in on a limited basis off a knee procedure. The Islanders were without Mat Barzal for the entirety of camp, pushing extra minutes onto a group already adjusting to life without former captain Anders Lee.
The scoreboard reflected the absences on both sides: a scoreless first period, one goal apiece in the second to make it 1-1, and New Jersey finding the go-ahead goal in the third to close it out 2-1.
- OutJohnathan Kovacevic (D)09/17
- OutNick Bjugstad (C) — The Devils announced Thursday that Bjugstad underwent successful surgery to repair a torn left pectoral muscle last week and will be sidelined for approximately 4-6 months.09/17
With Bjugstad and Kovacevic both down, New Jersey needed depth forwards and a reshuffled blue line to hold a one-goal deficit into intermission before answering back — exactly the kind of night camp battles are supposed to produce. The Islanders, playing most of their top-6 minutes without Barzal available, matched New Jersey through two periods before the extra ice time started to show.
None of it moves a standings column — this was a preseason opener with nothing at stake beyond camp jobs — but the third-period goal that decided it is exactly the kind of moment that sways a roster battle before games start to count on October 1.