The NY Islanders get first win of preseason

It may only have been preseason, but it was great to watch NY Islanders hockey once again.

The Isles traveled across the Hudson to take on their Metro Division rivals for both teams' first preseason game. About half of the Islanders lineup for tonight will be on the ice for opening night, while the rest will be battling for jobs. The Devils played more of their regulars as they get their season started earlier than most, opening in Prague on Oct. 4 against the Buffalo Sabres.

HOW IT HAPPENED

It wasn't a great start for the Isles as they trailed less than three minutes into the game off a Nico Hischier power play goal - not the look Roy was looking for after finishing last season as the league's worst on the penalty kill.

The Isles and the Devils traded goals through the first 40 minutes with goals from Anders Lee and Julien Gauthier. In the third period, Cam Thiesing broke the stalemate, with Simon Holmstrom scoring an empty net goal to seal the victory.

WHAT WENT RIGHT

The talking point of the night was Maxim Tsyplakov. His turnover directly led to the Devils' first goal, but that was his only blip on the night. He was physical, used his size to his advantage, and showed off his hands.

Coming down ice on a 2-on-1 alongside Gauthier, Tsyplakov faked a shot, sliding the puck over to Gauthier who had a gaping net as Jacob Markstrom bit on the shot.

Earlier in the period, Gauthier buried Brendan Dillon, who's no slouch himself, after he dumped a puck from the neutral zone.

WHAT WENT WRONG

It's difficult to point out things that go wrong during the first preseason game, but the penalty kill wasted no time allowing a goal. The units we saw tonight won't be what we see during the season, but it will be a point of emphasis this season

STATS OF THE GAME

Finishing the game with 28 shots on goal, every player had at least one aside from two players you'd expect to pull the trigger more often than not. Brock Nelson and Oliver Wahlstrom.

SOCIAL MEDIA MOMENT OF THE GAME

As we'll be seeing from across the league during preseason and the regular season, The Devils paid tribute to Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau before the start of tonight's game.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Islanders continue their preseason tour of the Tri-State area, heading to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday to take on the NY Rangers. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm.