Curtis Lazar scored the decisive goal with just 23 seconds remaining, and Akira Schmid made eight saves in relief, leading the New Jersey Devils to a 5-4 victory over the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.
Dramatic Comeback
Lazar netted his fourth goal of the season, sliding a loose puck past Ilya Sorokin to cap a three-goal third-period rally for the Devils.
“What a fun game to go back and forth. We found a way to win. It was a grind,” Lazar said. “Getting those two points in regulation is big for the hockey club.”
Devils’ Resilient Effort
New York held a 4-2 lead in the third period, but Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier scored to tie the game. Hughes netted his seventh goal at 5:08, followed by Hischier’s fourth on a power play at 11:10. Hughes also contributed two assists.
Michael McLeod and Dawson Mercer also scored for the Devils, who came off a 7-2 win over Buffalo last Saturday.
“We took advantage of our opportunities,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. ”I give our guys a lot of credit for battling back.”
Islanders’ Strong Start
Mathew Barzal and Cal Clutterbuck scored within 1:16 midway through the second period, giving the Islanders a 3-2 lead. Jean-Gabriel Pageau extended their lead to 4-2 at 13:05.
Bo Horvat also scored for the Islanders, who lost in regulation for the first time in seven games. Sorokin made 28 saves.
“I thought we played a really good 40 minutes, honestly. In the third, they get that one to make it 4-3, and we took an unfortunate penalty which they capitalized on,” Horvat said. “Then, an unfortunate bounce at the end. Obviously, we wanted to get that one to overtime and get a point.”
Key Contributions
Barzal and Noah Dobson each had two assists for New York. Barzal leads the team with 19 points.
With the Islanders trailing 2-1 in the second, Barzal scored his sixth of the season on a breakaway at 8:24, and Clutterbuck followed with his third goal off a scramble in front of Devils goalie Vitek Vanecek at 9:40.
Pageau made it 4-2 with his first goal of the season, assisted by Barzal and Alexander Romanov.
Penalty Trouble
Pageau noted the impact of the penalties midway through the third period, turning a power play into a 4-on-3 disadvantage.
“Guys are not trying to take penalties; it just happens,” Pageau said. “We always look at ourselves in the mirror to see what we could have done better. I will do that myself.”
Goalie Switch
Schmid replaced Vanecek on the net after Pageau’s goal. Vanecek allowed four goals on 18 shots.
Horvat scored at 5:16 of the first with a power-play goal, his sixth of the season. Dobson and Barzal assisted.
McLeod tied it at 10:29 with his fourth goal, assisted by Lazar. Mercer made it 2-1 at 4:19 of the second, finishing off a 2-on-1 with Hughes.
Coach’s Reflection
Islanders coach Lane Lambert was brief after the loss.
“They scored, gained some momentum, and the push started coming,” he said. “I don’t think we responded well enough. … This one stings. This one stings bad.”
Spirited Ending
Islanders captain Anders Lee fought Devils veteran Brendan Smith with just over two minutes left in the third period, with the score tied at 4. Ruff commented on the positive impact.
“That fired the boys up,” Ruff said. ”You see the guys get up on the bench. Brendan gives us a lot.”
Mike Reilly made his Islanders debut after being claimed off waivers from Florida.
Upcoming Games
- Islanders: Visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.
- Devils: Visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.
