Curtis Lazar flipped in the go-ahead goal with 23 seconds in regulation as the New Jersey Devils rallied from a 4-2 3rd period deficit to defeat the New York Islanders Tuesday night at the Prudential Center.
The late tally capped a 3 unanswered goal 3rd period by the Devils, who originally went down 1-0 in the 1st period after Bo Horvat's 6th of the season on an Islanders power play at 5:16. Jersey would tie things up before the end of the first 20 minutes with Michael McLeod (4) just after the halfway point at the 10:29 mark. Dawson Mercer (5) at 4:19 would give the Devils a 2-1 lead to start period 2, before the Isles logged 3 straight goals to grab their 4-2 lead heading into period 3. Those tallies would come from Mathew Barzal (6) at 8:24, Cal Clutterbuck (3) at 9:40, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau (1) at 13:05.
The Devils mounted their 3rd period comeback starting with Jack Hughes (7) at 5:08, and then Nico Hischier's PPG (4) at 11:10 tied the game for New Jersey at 4 apiece. Things looked to be headed for overtime 3-on-3 until Lazar scored his 4th of the season off a loose play to unexpectedly put the Devils in front for good.
With the improbable win, the Devils improve to 10-9-1 and sit 6th in the Metropolitan Division. Their next game is a visit to Philadelphia to face the Flyers on November 30 at 7 pm. The Islanders, meanwhile, drop to 8-7-6, tied with the Washington Capitals for 4th in the Metropolitan. Their next game sees them head to Raleigh to face Eastern powerhouse Carolina on November 30, with puck drop scheduled for 7:30 pm.
Team Stats
Shots: NYI 26, NJ 33
Hits: NYI 18, NJ 20
Faceoff Wins: NYI 22, NJ 31
PIM: NYI 13, NJ 13
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