The Islanders defenseman calls out the Devils and targets Jack Hughes

In the first meeting of the season between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Islanders, the division rivals quickly fell into disarray. The Tight Knight competition had no shortage of physicality that caused tempers to boil over. After New York’s overtime win, an Islanders defender called out the Devils after targeting their superstar.

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Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe decided to make a lineup change. He inserted Kurtis MacDermid in place of Nathan Bastian on New Jersey’s fourth line.

MacDermid certainly made his presence known, delivering a big open-ice hit to Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov.

Devils forward Curtis Lazar explained: “This is Dermy. He remains true to his identity. He’s a big, scary man and that was a beauty hit.”

According to Islanders forward Bo Horvat: “[the Devils] Stung the bear.”

Kurtis MacDermid makes an exception Alexander Romanov and Scott Mayfield made an exception 😱🥊 pic.twitter.com/uT6ikbOVtu

– Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 26, 2024

Romanov has always been a physical defender. The Russian Islanders defenseman recorded a season-high six goals on October 14 against the Colorado Avalanche.

After taking the hit from the Devils’ enforcer, Romanov looked to match his season high in goals and targeted New Jersey superstar Jack Hughes.

To retaliate, Romanov set up Hughes, who was carrying the puck into the Islanders’ zone, for a clean hit as MacDermid.

Alex Romanov takes over for Jack Hughes pic.twitter.com/oBrict20GV

— Rob Taub (@RTaub_) October 26, 2024

After the Islanders’ overtime win, Romanov didn’t hesitate to explain that he was looking for Hughes to get revenge.

“They hit me. I will meet them and I will meet their best player,” Romanov explained.

Romanov finished Friday night’s contest with five goals, three blocked shots and one assist across 30 shifts (21:51 ice time).

Although MacDermid was not penalized for the hit on Romanov, Islanders head coach Patrick Roy believed it wasn’t exactly a clean hit.

“He was hit in the head by MacDermid,” Roy explained. “But what I appreciate about him is that he stayed focused and played a really nice game… He was a beast out there.”

Ultimately, the Devils lost in overtime, but the tone is set for the next two meetings with the Islanders this season. It appears that the New York Rangers aren’t the only New York team that will have a spark against the Devils this season.

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