Although most hockey players will never admit it, there’s always added motivation when you play against your former team.
Scoring one goal against your old team is nice, but two goals are better than one.
That’s exactly what former Devil Marek Zidlicky did on Sunday night, as he scored not one, but two goals in New York’s 4-0 win over New Jersey.
Here’s his second goal of the game (his first one can be seem at the top of the page):
The 38-year-old spent parts of four seasons with the Devils from 2012 to 2015.
This was as complete a performance as we’ve seen from the Islanders this season. Only six of New York’s 18 skaters didn’t record a point in this one.
They also got a strong performance between the pipes from the Thomas Greiss, who made 27 saves for his first shutout of the season.
The game got chippy in the second period when Islanders forward (and former Devil) Steve Bernier flattened Andy Greene. Adam Larsson took exception to the hit, and he and Bernier dropped the gloves.
To watch the entire sequence, click here.
Larsson: “I don't know if I would call it a fight. It was more like a wrestling match. But, I didn't get hurt, so that was good."
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) December 14, 2015
Greene: "I know Bernie doesn't mean anything by it. He's playing hard and he finishes checks. He's not trying to hurt me there."
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) December 14, 2015