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Islanders Matinee: It's too early to deal with Devils

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.

Colnj-cmouth_medium            Isles-w_medium

New Jersey Devils (42-19-3, 2nd/E) at New York Islanders (20-37-7, 30th)

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:

Around the Island: