I must confess I guffawed when I read John's headline for this game at In Lou We Trust: "History Favors the Devils." First thought: Hell, the standings and rosters favor the Devils.

But of course John was referring to the Devils' ability to rebound against opponents that have shut them out -- and lest we forget, the Islanders blanked the Devils 4-0 last meeting.

2 p.m. EST | Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum | MSG/MSG+

Satanic verses: In Lou We Trust | 2 Man Advantage

Beyond the Devils taking the Islanders more seriously this time, the Isles are simply undermanned. The Bridgeport-heavy lineup with the $20 million payroll mostly outplayed the Rangers the other night but was unable to beat Henrik Lundqvist enough to get past the Rangers, who John Torotorella admitted benefited from "an ugly win."

Another effort like Thursday, and who knows? As John notes, the Devils will also be introducing their deadline addition, Niclas Havelid, into the lineup. Perhaps the Islanders steal a goal or two via some crossed signals with the former Thrasher. Perhaps not.

As this is a matinee, this is a late-Friday/Saturday morning preview. With that in mind, some (mostly) Islanders-focused "splinters" links from the past 36 hours follow after the jump:

• Related to a topic that came up in our blogger v. blogger, Pierre LeBrun delves into the challenge Bob Murray has in Anaheim.

Around the Island:

• Post-Rangers thoughts: OnTheNYIslesScene reflective, 7th Woman relieved, Forever1940 looking at the Isles' average age (pups!), Drive for Five liking how the Isles welcomed Avery back
  
• Justin Bourne with a guest tribute to Guerin's captain-like character. (No surprise.)
• Just in time to scuttle more Lighthouse Project rumors, Nick will be on the HNLI podcast. (He found positive news from the Wang/Howie interview).
  
• Islanders Outsider reminds us of 30th place's odds for the #1 pick (48.2%). Ken also saw the Wang/Howie interview more clearly than the soundbite-addicted media.
  
• OnTheNYIslesScene has some amusing trade deadline photos.
• If you missed it, Official's Outlook blogged the whole deadline and made it more interesting than ... well, the actual deadline.
• Remember who wore #40 before Joel Rechlicz? Tiger Track Tom does.
  
• NY Daily News on the Islanders goalie prospect Jase Weslosky.
• Like a good spouse, I get roped into Ace of Cakes on occasion. Not Your Average Ice Girl sees an episode worth catcing.