Devils 4, Islanders 3 (OT): Isles take, then blow 3-1 lead in a flash

The Isles carved out some daylight but couldn’t hold on.

The New York Islanders grabbed another point as they continue to fight through this injury crisis, but they’ll regret not taking both (er, two of the three that overtime magically makes available) as they blew a two-goal lead late in the third period and ultimately lost to the New Jersey Devils in overtime, 4-3.

It didn’t feel quite like a traditional blown two-goal lead because the game was on a knife’s edge just minutes before. Beginning at 10:30 of the third, the Isles broke a 1-1 tie with two goals in a two-minute span. Three minutes later, the Devils comeback began, and they completed it with a sixth-attacker goal and then a Jack Hughes breakaway goal in overtime.

They’ve shown new life lately despite their injuries, but this missed opportunity hurts as they’re about to embark on a five-game western road trip.

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First Period

The Isles only managed five shots on goal in the first period, but it wasn’t as lopsided as the 10-5 differential would appear. It was a bit of a slog of a frame on both sides, with the Isles having one brief period of buzzing outside of their goal, and the Devils finishing with a flourish that required good work from Ilya Sorokin, who had a busy night.

The lone goal came a little more than halfway through, with Simon Holmstrom using his great reach to take a pass from Kyle MacLean and shift it around Jacob Markstrom. The play started with a spirited forecheck from Matt Martin, which freed the puck for MacLean to retrieve.

Second Period

The second period was pretty heavily in the Devils’ favor, but Sorokin limited the damage. Jack Hughes tied it early on a power play, but the Devils continued to exert pressure.

One should-be innocent play ended up giving Hughes their best opportunity: A through pass for Jack Hughes was intercepted by Grant Hutton at the Islanders blueline, but when the Isles defenseman turned he evidently didn’t realize Hughes was still bearing down on him. The dangerous forward walked in alone on Sorokin and made a double move, but Sorokin splayed out and kept his skate on the post to keep the puck from getting through.

Third Period

The Islanders came out with more life and assertiveness in the third period, and it eventually paid off. Another good forecheck led to the go-ahead goal, this time with Holmstrom harassing Luke Hughes and forcing a turnover after a Pierre Engvall chip. Holmstrom gained possession, curled and fed cross-ice to Dennis Cholowski, who beat Markstrom up high for his second goal of the season.

A potentially pivotal sequence came when Luke Hughes waltzed down the inside of the left wing circle and made a move around Scott Mayfield to open up a shot, but Sorokin pushed hard to get over and cut off his angle. The Islanders then turned the other way and Brock Nelson sprinted ahead to turn it into a 4-on-2. Kyle Palmieri made an outstanding pullup at the blueline to take out his man and free up a passing lane to feed Nelson, who gathered it and put it upstairs. Just a beautiful play.

That gave the Islanders an important insurance goal, and obviously they needed that and then some.

The Devils got one back just three minutes later, after Paul Cotter drove hard to the outside and then pulled up, hooking to find budding Islander killer Dawson Mercer, who got a chip on the puck to pop it upstairs. Two Isles were on Cotter, while Noah Dobson was a half step behind Mercer.

The lead then fully disappeared with 50 seconds to go as the Devils worked the puck with impunity with Markstrom pulled for a sixth attacker. Jack Hughes was left out high to direct traffic, and he repeatedly fed Stefan Noesen at the leftside doorstep to try to stuff one in or pass across. It was the latter approach that ended up working, though with a bit of luck, as his pass across the street caromed off Hutton’s skate and past Sorokin.

Overtime

The extra period was eventful, heart-stopping, and over somewhat quickly. The Isles created several chances, including Isaiah George — who continues to impress — using his speed to give himself a chance in alone on Markstrom, but he lost the handle on his forehand move. (Also, Markstrom’s pad was there, so George would’ve had to lift the puck, which may have been what caused him to lose it entirely.)

The final chance was the fatal one, as the Isles had a 3-on-2 that left Jack Hughes waiting in the neutral zone for the home run pass. He received it from Dougie Hamilton at the Isles blueline, and this time he didn’t try a deke but instead got Sorokin drifting backward enough to open up daylight on the inside of the far post.

Up Next

The Isles now have a tough five-game trip to Western Canada and four border crossings, as they also drop down to Seattle and hit Detroit on their way back. All that bonding time better pay off.