Islanders Blow 2-Goal Lead, Lose 5-4 to Devils With 23 Seconds Left

NEWARK, NJ -- The New York Islanders had their six-game point streak snapped, falling with 23 seconds left to the New Jersey Devils 5-4 on Tuesday night at the Prudential Center after blowing a two-goal lead.

RAPID RECAP:

The Islanders needed just 29 seconds of power-play time to take the lead as Bo Horvat rifled home his sixth of the season from the right dot after strong tape-to-tape passing. Noah Dobson and Mathew Barzal earned the assists at 5:16 of the first. 

The Devils knotted the score at 1-1 after newcomer Mike Reilly failed to get the puck deep on a dump-in attempt leading to a 2-on-1 in which Cody McLeod beat Ilya Sorokin glove side at 10:29 of the first. 

Following a glorious chance for Ryan Pulock, who passed up a shot to feed Brock Nelson, an Alexander Romanov pinch at the blue line allowed Jack Hughes to lead a 2-on-1. 

He found Dawson Mercer to his right, who buried high glove side at 4:19 of the second. 

But then the Islanders went to work, scoring the next three goals to close out the second period up 4-2. 

In 1:16, Barzal scored his sixth of the season, scoring glove side on a breakaway after a strong feed from Anders Lee (secondary assist from Dobson). 

Then Cal Clutterbuck netted his third of the season after Casey Cizikas lost the puck directly to him in the low slot. 

Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored the final of the frenzy, his first of the season, after a quick one-touch pass from Barzal in the slot found No. 44 at the back post. Alexander Romanov was credited with the secondary assist. 

Vanecek, after making 14 saves on 18 shots, was relieved by Akira Schmid. 

Kyle Palmieri took a slashing penalty with two minutes to play in the period, but the Islanders killed it off. 

Hughes got the Devils within one at 5:08 of the second, rifling one past Sorokin's glove to make it a 4-3 game after a Scott Mayfield turnover. 

The Islanders found themselves on the power play at 9:43 of the third, but penalties to Barzal and Holmstrom put the Devils on the 4-on-3 power play, where Nico Hischier buried a rebound at 11:10.

Lee and Smith dropped the gloves with under two minutes to play after Lee took a high hit from Smith. 

Then with only 23 seconds left to regulation, after pressure mounted in the Islanders zone, Devils forward Alexander Holz, joined by Curtis Lazar, swung away in front of a sprawled Sorokin. Lazar managed to get his stick on the puck enough to enter the net over the beaten Sorokin.

QUOTES:

"It's been stick carelessness. It's four on four we can't have a careless stick, and that's what happens, and next thing you know, the score is tied." -- Lane Lambert on penalties late in the third

"Guys are not trying to take penalties. It kind of just happens, and we did a good job overall killing them off till the last one. And I wish I had a chance again to win that face-off and then maybe the puck is out, and I have a smile on my face right now. Didn't happen. So I'll go back and look at it also. We all look at ourselves in the mirror when those games happen and try to see what we could have done better. And I'll do that myself." -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau on failed penalty kill late

"I think it just starts by playing in their zone. I think we got caught out there a couple of times, and that cost us a little bit. But, I mean, the penalties were pretty even tonight. I thought the four-on-three...obviously that sucks. But for the most part, I thought we did well. We played a really good third period, but I mean, just again, just bounces." -- Bo Horvat

"I thought we were in a good spot Yeah, obviously, you know they got one. I thought we were still fine. Give a team 4-on-3, 5-on-3...they capitalized, and then we're back to even, and obviously not a great ending." -- Ryan Pulock

"We played a really good hockey game [...] Right now, they are. 4-on-3, 5-on-3, those are tough. We just, unfortunately, weren't able to get it done tonight." -- Anders Lee

LINES:

Anders Lee - Bo Horvat - Mathew Barzal

Pierre Engvall - Brock Nelson - Kyle Palmieri

Simon Holmstrom - Jean-Gabriel Pageau - Oliver Wahlstrom

Julien Gauthier - Casey Cizikas - Cal Clutterbuck

Alex Romanov - Ryan Pulock

Noah Dobson - Scott Mayfield

Mike Reilly - Grant Hutton

Ilya Sorokin

Semyon Varlamov

UP NEXT: The Islanders head to Carolina to face the Hurricanes Thursday night at 7 PM.