The implications were big, as the Islanders (28 points, 29 games played) closed the gap with the Devils (33 points, 37 games played), the first team they need to leapfrog. Further up the chain, the Islanders needed to keep pace with the Boston Bruins (44 points, 34 games), who occupy the second Wild Card and scored a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers and the Columbus Blue Jackets (35 points, 35 games), who staged a 6-0 stunner over the division-leading Carolina Hurricanes.
"Everyone knows where we are at in the standings," Barzal said. "We have a lot of games in hand, so we have to start winning hockey games. Tonight was great, after 12 days… It was a good team win."
New Jersey also hadn't played since Saturday, so both teams had some jump after a layoff, playing fast and loose in a 1-1 first period that saw 14 shots apiece.
The Devils opened the scoring on Sharangovich's eighth of the season, beating Sorokin with a mid-range wrister that snuck between the goalie's body and blocker.
The Islanders got it back before the end of the penalty-filled period, as Bailey potted a power-play goal for his first tally since Oct. 24. The Islanders now have 10 power-play goals in their last 11 games and have scored on the man advantage in five straight.
The frantic pace levelled off in the second period, with the teams combining for a total of 11 shots (6-5 Devils).
Pelech, who was named to his first All-Star Game ahead of puck drop, put the Islanders ahead with his first goal of the season. The defenseman put a wrister in play from the point, which caromed off Graves, hit the ice and bounced over Gillies' glove at 9:22. In addition to being named an all-star on Thursday, Pelech was named the game's first star.
The defenseman's goal wouldn't be enough to hold up as the game-winner, as the Devils tied the score on a third period power play, as Nathan Bastian deflected a Ty Smith point shot past Sorokin at 10:25.
That just set the stage for Barzal, who roofed the winner past Gillies during a four-on-four stretch with 4:53 to play. After that, the Islanders clamped down, keeping the Devils from crossing center after initially pulling Gillies and then keeping them on the perimeter for a major of the final 90 seconds.
"It's been a challenging first 20-something games of the season for us as a group," Parise said. "Now we're close to getting a full lineup back… we're playing some good hockey, we're finding different ways to win, special teams are coming together, we're getting back to that stingy hockey that we're comfortable playing. We have a lot of ground to make up, but we start with tonight, it's a big win, a team we have to catch."
