Jack Campbell made 28 saves in his first start since Nov. 10 for the Oilers (10-10-0), who have lost the first two of a three-game road trip that concludes Saturday at the New York Rangers.
"What this game came down to is we were unable to solve their goaltender," Edmonton coach Jay Woodcroft said. "Pouring 49 shots on someone, that's what we set out to do every game. We didn't find a way to crack him."
Pageau gave New York a 1-0 lead when he scored short-handed at 4:33 of the second period. With Anthony Beauvillier in the penalty box, Zach Parise carried the puck into the offensive zone and found Pageau with a pass that he put between Campbell's legs.
He scored again 2:06 later to give the Islanders a 2-0 lead at 6:39, this time on the power play. Skating down the right side, Pageau fired a pass from the circle intended for Anders Lee, but the puck ricocheted off Evan Bouchard's stick and got past Campbell.
"First of all, I thought we showed up tonight," Pageau said. "We came in and we knew we had a big challenge. We played with urgency for a full 60 (minutes), Sorokin, again, was outstanding."