NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A lucky carom on an early goal by a fourth-line center and a bounce-back effort by Jaroslav Halak in goal were all the New York Islanders needed to get a much-needed win over the New Jersey Devils.
Casey Cizikas scored on a rebound off his leg early and a struggling Halak had 27 saves to lead the Islanders to a 1-0 victory over New Jersey on Friday night in the opener of a season-long, seven-game trip.
The Islanders are in third place in the Metropolitan Division, four points ahead of the fifth-place Devils with two games in hand.
“To win this game gives us a little bit of room,” said Halak, who was 1-4 in his last five games. “But any night from now on is going to be like this. We just need to keep playing well and keep picking up points.”
Halak was outstanding and had a little help from the post while getting his third shutout. Reid Boucher’s 1-on-1 chance in the first period hit iron, but Halak also made…