ELMONT, N.Y. — Jack Hughes scored 2:19 into overtime, sniping a wrist shot over Ilya Sorokin to lift the New Jersey Devils to a 5-4 overtime victory over the New York Islanders on Friday night at UBS Arena.
The Islanders managed to salvage a point through Bo Horvat’s second goal of the night with 1:11 left in regulation when he banked a loose puck off sprawled-out Devils goalie Akira Schmid from the left goal line and into the net to tie the game at four apiece. It canceled out Jack Hughes’ go-ahead tally — he recorded four points (two goals, two assists) — 4:30 into the third period following a Pierre Engvall hooking penalty — tapping in a perfectly wired pass from Ondrej Palat right in front of Ilya Sorokin’s goal.
All four of the Devils’ regulation goals came on the power play, converting four of their five man-advantage opportunities after the Islanders went the first two games of the season without conceding a goal while shorthanded. The four power-play goals were the most yielded by New York at UBS Arena, which opened for the 2021-22 season.
All four of the Islanders’ regulation goals came at even strength, going 0-for-2 on the power play.
An inability to stay out of the box, however, left Sorokin high and dry for most of the night despite yet another brilliant showing, featuring a pair of showstopping saves that kept the Islanders in it longer than they should have been. He made 33 stops on the night while New Jersey’s Akira Schmid turned away 27 of 31.
Brock Nelson, who scored twice in the loss, gave the Islanders the lead at the 12:35 mark of the first period when he capped off an odd-man rush with one of his patented writers from the left circle that beat Schmid over his left pad.
Sorokin kept the Islanders’ lead intact a little longer than it should have been as the Devils controlled most of the first period with another remarkable save to add to his ever-expanding highlight reel. With 4:31 to go in the period, after…
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