The Devils have now lost 11 straight games at home. This one may have been the hardest to stomach.
The Islanders completed a three-game sweep at Prudential Center, handing the Devils a 3-2 shootout loss on Sunday.
It appeared that the Devils had won 20 seconds into overtime, but P.K. Subban's goal was called off for offside. New Jersey also had a chance to win on a 4-on-3 advantage late in overtime.
Instead the Devils fell to 0-3 in the shootout this season.
Yegor Sharangovich and Janne Kuokkanen scored a goal apiece for the Devils in their third straight loss.
Scott Wedgewood made 32 saves for New Jersey in his first start in 10 days.
"Defending has to be our foundation," coach Lindy Ruff said before the game. "We'll keep working on the offensive side, but defending has to be our foundation."
Power up
Special teams have been an issue for the Devils all season, often cancelling out some of their positive work at even strength.
That's what made the first period so encouraging.
The Devils scored on their first power play when Kuokkanen sent home the rebound after a point shot by Damon Severson. It was the Devils' first power play goal in nine games and snapped an 0-for-24 slump.
"It's been a rough patch right now," Kuokkanen told MSG's Erika Wachter. "We haven't scored that many goals on the power play. But I think we're getting better and better all the time."
The 22-year-old Kuokkanen has been one of the Devils' best players since getting called up from the taxi squad earlier this month. Kuokkanen has now scored in four straight games after being held to one goal in his first 16.
"I feel more comfortable with the puck," Kuokkanen said. "I feel comfortable making plays. (Getting to the net) helps me to play an overall better game."
Slow start
The rest of the first period was controlled by the Islanders. They opened the scoring less than five minutes into the game when the puck bounced off Kieffer Bellows in front. But when the Devils killed off a pair of penalties, it seemed like they would get to intermission with the score tied.
Instead the Islanders went back up 2-1 with a second left in the first period when Brock Nelson threw a seemingly harmless shot from the right boards.
"Before you win, you have to learn how not to lose," Ruff said. "We were pretty close to that when we came out of camp. For whatever reason post-COVID, we have had our struggles. Some of those are physical. Some of those are mental. Some of those I know (could improve) with more practice time and with more reps."
Sharangovich tied the score at two late in the second period when he wristed a shot past Isles' goalie Ilya Sorokin. After stealing the puck in the neutral zone, Sharangovich was rewarded moments later with a goal from the high slot.
