Takeaways: Isles Offense Comes Through in 4-3 OT Win Over Devils

Bo Horvat scored the OT winner at 1:09 of the extra frame as the New York Islanders beat the New Jersey Devils 4-3 on Friday night at Prudential Center.

Horvat’s goal – a one-timer underneath Jake Allen on a cross-ice pass from Mathew Barzal – salvaged the extra point for the Islanders, who led early and often, but allowed the Devils to tie the score with 1:29 left in the third period.

After losing their first two games beyond 60 minutes the Isles have now won their last two games that have gone past regulation.

“Feels good to get the win in a divisional game like this,” Horvat said. “Obviously would have liked to finish that one off in regulation, but glad we got it done.”

Brock Nelson (1G, 1A) and Kyle Palmieri (1G, 1A) each had two-point games, while Anders Lee also found the back of the net for the Isles.

Nico Hischier, Curtis Lazar and Jesper Bratt scored for the Devils, who saw their winless streak hit four games (0-2-2).

Ilya Sorokin stopped 32 of 35 in the win, while Jake Allen stopped 26 of 30 in the loss.

Isles Unlock Offense:

One of the factors behind Tuesday night’s shutout loss to Detroit was clear shooting lanes for opposing goaltenders and not generating enough traffic in front of the net.

That adjustment was made on Friday night, as the Islanders deflected a pair of goals from the slot.

Brock Nelson opened the scoring at the 1:23 of the first period, tipping an Adam Pelech point shot past Jake Allen, while Kyle Palmieri redirected an Alexander Romanov blast at 11:28 of the second period to put New York up 3-2.

“Tonight, we scored goals that we probably have not scored the last few games because of it,” Roy said of his team getting bodies in front of the net.

The Islanders offense had good looks throughout the game, whether it was Horvat redirecting a centering feed from Barzal through Allen’s legs, but just wide in the first, or a handful of power-play chances in the first 40 minutes, including an Lee’s goal off a Dobson rebound to make it 2-1 in the first period.

“We were trying to get more pucks and bodies towards the net,” Horvat said. “Guys were getting sticks on it. They weren't pretty goals by any means tonight, just making the right plays at the right time, getting to the dirty areas. And you get rewarded for that.”

Second Period Revolves Around Romanov:

Alexander Romanov was at the center of the action in the second period.

The defenseman got caught by a big hit from Kurtis MacDermid exiting the zone early in the frame, which sent his helmet flying and ratcheted up the physicality between the rivals. You live by the open-ice hit, as Romanov does – the hit drew comparisons to when he railroaded Miles Wood at Prudential Center two years prior – and you die by the open-ice hit, but Romanov returned the favor shortly by standing up Jack Hughes at the blue line on an ensuing Devils power play.

“You need to get back to the game after that hit,” Romanov said. “It wasn't good for me. I need to keep my head up. I just found a way to get back to the game again.”

Romanov landed an even bigger hit on the scoresheet before the end of the period, blasting a point shot that was tipped by Kyle Palmieri to put the Isles up 3-2. Romanov also came up with a big block on Tomas Tatar late in the second period on a Devils power play to preserve that lead.

“He was a machine tonight,” Horvat said of Romanov. “Not a lot of guys take a big hit like that. And I think they just poked the bear. [Romanov] came and probably played one of the best periods I've seen him play. Just hitting guys, a great shot on [Palmieri’s] goal, and we need guys like to step up in a big way and answer the challenge. He did.”

Romanov finished the game with an assist, a game-high five hits and a team-high three blocked shots in 21:51 TOI.

Odds and Ends

- As good as the Islanders have been defensively to start the season, Patrick Roy said one area he’d like to see improvement is in coverage below the goal line. That bit the Islanders on the Devils’ 2-2 goal, as Paul Cotter passed the puck from below the goal line to Curtis Lazar in the slot for a quick one-timer that beat a flat-footed Sorokin.

- Sorokin was solid again for the Islanders, notably stopping a Dawson Mercer breakaway at the end of the second period to keep the Isles ahead 3-2. Sorokin bounced back from allowing the tying goal at the end of the third with a key glove stop at the start of OT.

- Anders Lee finished with a game-high six shots.

- The Isles won 63% of face-offs on Friday, with Horvat winning 9-of-12 (75%).

Lineup Notes:

Only one lineup change for the Islanders, as Casey Cizikas and Oliver Wahlstrom swapped lines. Cizikas played with MacLean and Liam Foudy, while Wahlstrom played with Lee and Pageau.

Notable Quote:

Patrick Roy on his team’s play:

We're cutting down on chances against, and that's what we want to do. We want to make it tough to play against us. And now if we start scoring goals with the shot from the blue line and have tips in front, I think we're going to be in a good position.

Next Game:

The Islanders wrap up a back-to-back set on Saturday night when they host the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.