Islanders open at home with 6-0 win over Devils as Sorokin stops 37

The New York Islanders beat the New Jersey Devils 6-0 in their home opener Saturday, October 3. The score suggests a one-sided night, but the NHL box score shows New Jersey actually put more shots on goal, 37 to 32. Ilya Sorokin stopped all 37 Devils attempts for the shutout. That contrast is the story inside the margin.

Simon Holmstrom, Brayden Schenn, Bo Horvat, Victor Eklund, Ondrej Palat and Casey Cizikas scored for the Islanders. New York had a power-play goal from Horvat and a short-handed goal from Cizikas. Six scorers gave the attack breadth, rather than making this only a goaltending result.

Six scorers, one decisive goalkeeper

Sorokin's 37 saves were still the separation. A team cannot infer complete defensive control from a shutout when it allowed 37 shots. The Islanders converted their chances and got every save they needed. The original comparison above keeps both numbers visible instead of letting the 6-0 score conceal the workload.

Nico Daws started for New Jersey and made 26 saves on 32 shots, according to the NHL box score. The Devils began the season with a 3-2 overtime win against Philadelphia, then encountered a much harsher road result on Long Island. It is too early to turn one loss into a verdict on their season, but the shot advantage offers little comfort when none of those chances became a goal.

The result and the warning

For the Islanders, this is a powerful home-opening response after an opening loss. The repeatable question is whether they can reduce the volume Sorokin faces while keeping this spread of scoring. For New Jersey, the immediate work is to understand why 37 shots produced no breakthrough. Both questions require more games, not a projection from one final score.