The New York Islanders needed a reset after opening the 2026-27 NHL regular season with a 2-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Peter DeBoer got one in a hurry.
Back home for Game 2 at UBS Arena, DeBoer shuffled his lines and the Islanders responded with a 6-0 rout of the New Jersey Devils. Ilya Sorokin was steady all night with 37 saves, but the spotlight belonged to rookie Victor Eklund, who turned his 20th birthday into a night he won’t forget.
Eklund, the No. 16 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, was already making his presence felt before the goals started piling up. He picked up his first point of the season on the Islanders’ second goal of the night, which also marked the first goal of the season for Brayden Schenn. That assist was Eklund’s second of his NHL career.
Then came the milestone moment. With Cal Ritchie chipping the puck in, Eklund found it on his stick, fired quickly at Devils goalie Nico Daws, and buried it to make it 4-0. It was his first NHL goal, and it also gave him his first multi-point game.
"He's got real good attention to detail for a young player," DeBoer said, via Shannon Bickert of NHL.com. "[It's] pretty rare to have that.
I know the offense is there, and you know that's going to grow as he gets older and stronger, and gets more minutes, and all those things. But to have that foundation that you can play him and not have to worry about getting him off the ice against Jack Hughes tonight, it's important."
The crowd at UBS Arena made sure the moment felt even bigger. Eklund was named the No. 1 star and got a birthday serenade from the fans, who sang “Happy Birthday” as he fought back tears.
A birthday to remember for Ekky! pic.twitter.com/Go6PuWhF9P
"It's unbelievable," Eklund said about the fan reaction. "Best fans.
I don't know. I can't describe [it] in words.
[I'm] just so happy."
His mother was in the building, too, watching him produce the best game of his young pro career in person.
"I love my mom, she's the best," Eklund said. "I thank her for being here."
For the Islanders, it was a dominant home opener. For Eklund, it was the kind of first NHL goal and first big night that can stick with a player for a long time.
In Other News...
Keefe Just Sent The Devils An Early Warning They Can't Ignore
The second game of the season already brought a harsh reminder for the Devils, who were blanked 6-0 by the Islanders at UBS Arena and left to sort through a night that unraveled in several areas at once. Sheldon Keefe pointed to breakdowns in defensive coverage and puck management, while Jesper Bratt and goalie Daws each acknowledged how difficult it became once the game tilted against New Jersey.
What stood out most was how little the Devils were able to settle in, especially with the puck and on the power play. For a team still trying to establish early-season rhythm, that kind of performance from the coachs perspective is more than just a bad result, it is the sort of warning sign that can linger if it is not corrected quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Nico Daws Just Revived The Devils Fear Fans Had All Summer
The Devils first look at life after the Jacob Markstrom trade came with an unwelcome reminder of how fragile the goaltending picture can look in a hurry. In a 6-0 loss to the Islanders, New Jersey absorbed its sixth straight defeat in the season series, and Nico Daws was in the crease for all six goals against on 32 shots, a rough night that immediately put the spotlight back on a position group the club had hoped was steadier.
Jake Allen is currently handling the No. 1 job, but the organization does not have much margin behind him, with Remi Poirier and David Rittich as the other internal options. That is what makes Daws outing resonate beyond one lopsided result: it reopened the summer fear that the Devils goaltending depth could become a real issue if the team is forced to lean on it for long. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Already Face An Early Test They Didn't Want
The Devils got the kind of opening week that can make a season feel longer than it should this early, beginning with a win over the Flyers before dropping the next one to the Islanders. Even with only two games in the books, the roster is already being asked to absorb a lot, with injuries touching several spots and forcing the coaching staff to keep shuffling options as the schedule gets moving.
Nick Bjugstad, Johnathan Kovacevic and Seamus Casey are all part of that list, while Connor Brown is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Amadeus Lombardi has already made his NHL debut and is still adjusting to the pace, and the situation in goal is changing too after David Rittich was sent to the AHL and Remi Poirier was claimed from the Stars, leaving New Jersey with an early lineup puzzle it probably would have preferred to avoid. [Read more 🡒]