Bo Horvat scored the go-ahead goal late in the third period, and the New York Islanders headed into the Olympic break on a high note with a 3-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.
Horvat found the back of the net with just 3:27 left, maneuvering to his backhand off a faceoff and sliding the puck past Devils goaltender Jake Allen to break the 1-1 deadlock. Mathew Barzal added an empty-netter in the final moments to secure the win, while Casey Cizikas had earlier opened the scoring in the second period.
Cizikas’ goal came at 6:30 of the second, capitalizing on a misplay from Allen behind the net. After Allen sent the puck around the boards during a Devils line change, it ended up with Marc Gatcomb, who fed Kyle MacLean in the slot. Cizikas pounced on the rebound from MacLean’s tip, beating Allen on the second effort.
Despite allowing the deciding goal, Allen made 11 saves and was solid in the net. The Devils, without star center Jack Hughes (lower-body injury) for a third straight game, showed renewed fight after recent criticism from coach Sheldon Keefe, but couldn’t capitalize on their chances.
New Jersey outshot New York 24-14, but Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin stood tall, making 23 saves, including several key stops in the third.
The Devils finally responded late in the second period. Jesper Bratt carried an outlet pass from Allen into the offensive zone and found Nico Hischier with a cross-ice feed. Hischier buried a wrist shot high on Sorokin’s glove side to tie the game at 1-1.
Still, the Devils couldn’t generate enough offense to prevent their second straight loss.
Takeaways
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Islanders: Horvat continues to deliver in clutch moments, while Sorokin’s poise in goal helped withstand New Jersey’s 24-shot barrage.
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Devils: The team lacked finishing touch despite controlling play for stretches. Jack Hughes’ absence remains noticeable, and goaltending lapses proved costly.
Key Moment
Horvat’s game-winner came directly off a faceoff, where he collected the puck and quickly beat Allen, silencing the Prudential Center crowd and putting the Islanders ahead for good.
Key Stat
Despite being heavily outshot, the Islanders improved to 5-1 in their last six games against New Jersey.
What’s Next
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Islanders: Visit the Montreal Canadiens on Feb. 26 after the Olympic break.
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Devils: Host the Buffalo Sabres on Feb. 25.
