Jack Completes Devils Comeback in OT | GAME STORY

ELMONT, N.Y. - Jack Hughes scored on a breakaway just 1:18 into overtime to complete the Devils’ comeback and give New Jersey a 5-4 victory over the New York Islanders tonight at UBS Arena.

The Devils trailed 4-2 entering the third period despite dominating the shot clock, but goals from Luke Evangelista and Dougie Hamilton forced overtime before Hughes delivered the winner.

New Jersey outshot the Islanders 50-23, with Ilya Sorokin making 45 saves in the loss.

“I loved our game tonight. I loved our game from start to finish,” Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “We didn’t have the lead, and we were chasing it a little bit. There’s some plays around our net front that we have to do a better job of, but our guys played real hard tonight.”

The game was a back-and-forth affair early on. Both teams had some great rush chances and the Devils outshot the Islanders 10-4 through the game’s first 12 minutes.

The best stop early on, however, came from Jake Allen, who absolutely robbed Mitchell Chaffee with a remarkable glove grab.

The Islanders struck first with 4:54 to go in the opening frame. Anthony Duclair banged home a one-timer from the top of the crease after the puck took a strange hop off the end boards.

Seventeen seconds later, the Devils tied it up. Evan Rodrigues put the puck five-hole on a breakaway after being sprung by a quick pass from Anthony Mantha.

The Islanders moved back in front with less than three minutes to play in the first. Matthew Schaefer brought the puck with persistence from the corner to the front of the net before putting it in past Allen.

After one, shots on goal were 14-6 for the Devils, but the Islanders carried a 2-1 lead into the intermission.

New Jersey controlled the play early in the second. The Hughes-Gritsyuk-Bratt line had an extended shift in the Islanders zone but could not find the back of the net. However, their next time on the ice, they struck to put the visitors on even terms.

Declan Chisholm took the puck off the end boards and moved in close before beating Sorokin to make it 2-2. Bratt and Arseny Gritsyuk assisted on the goal.

The Islanders, however, struck again just 26 seconds later on a wild scramble in front. Kyle Palmieri got the puck through traffic to Simon Holmstrom, who put it over Allen after the goaltender was left down and out by a series of unusual bounces.

New York extended its lead to 4-2 with 8:06 remaining in the middle frame. Tony DeAngelo sent a puck toward the net from the side boards that caught Allen’s glove before finding its way over the goal line. Victor Eklund was credited with the goal.

Late in the second, Nico Hischier was slashed on the wrist by Logan Stanley in front of the net. Play continued, and when the whistle finally went, a scrum broke out, including Schaefer and Luke Hughes behind the goal. The result was a Devils power play.

Keefe described the game as one of the most competitive New Jersey has played this season.

“From ice level, that’s as fast and physical and competitive a game as I think we’ve been in all season,” Keefe said. “Our guys didn’t go away, so I loved it.”

After 40 minutes, shots on goal were 32-14 for the Devils, but the Islanders remained ahead by a pair.

Sorokin made a series of incredible saves as the Devils poured on the pressure to get back into the game.

“The goalie’s been unbelievable against us for the last while,” Hamilton said. “Today even, he made some huge, huge saves. Like, you’re shocked that he’s making these saves.”

Eventually, after Evangelista batted the puck in front, it took an unusual bounce and found its way into the net to make it 4-3.

“That one felt good, obviously. You take them however they come,” Evangelista said. “I feel like our line’s process has been really good. We’re getting looks, we’re in the O-zone, we’re making plays. We were just snakebit for a bit there, so nice to kind of break through and get one to fall.”

With 33 seconds left in a penalty to Holmstrom and 7:25 to go in the game, Adam Pelech caught Mantha with a high stick, giving the Devils a two-man advantage and a great chance to tie the game.

The Islanders killed off the five-on-three, but with 54 seconds remaining in Pelech’s minor, Jack Hughes found Hamilton in the high slot for a one-timer. Hamilton blasted it home to make it a 4-4 game.

“It’s a huge goal, power play, momentum, tie the game,” Jack Hughes said. “Just a massive goal, and obviously, we want to get the power play going, so it’s kind of two-sided, right? Big for our power play guys, and then on top of that, just a big moment in the game.”

The goal completed New Jersey’s comeback from a two-goal deficit, with both of the Devils’ third-period goals coming as the visitors continued to apply pressure on Sorokin.

At the end of regulation, the Devils held a commanding 48-23 advantage in shots on goal, but the game was knotted at 4-4.

In overtime, Luke Hughes knocked the puck away from Schaefer before chipping it ahead to his brother. Jack broke in alone on Sorokin and made no mistake, beating the Islanders netminder to complete the comeback.

“Just got stick on puck and then made the chip to Jack, and he did the rest,” Luke said.

The winner came just 1:18 into overtime and marked New Jersey’s second consecutive victory on an overtime breakaway, following Jesper Bratt’s winner against St. Louis on Thursday.

“It’s a great comeback win for our team,” Jack said. “First game like that all year where we were chipping away, chipping away, and just stuck with it, and we came back, and that’s a big win for us.”

For Keefe, the result was a fitting reward for a performance he felt deserved more than the scoreboard had reflected for much of the night.

“I thought we got what we deserved today in terms of earning our way back into the game and getting at least one point and a chance at the second,” he said.

In overtime, Jack Hughes broke free on a breakaway and beat Sorokin to complete New Jersey’s comeback and give the Devils the 5-4 victory.

Here are some observations from the game:

• Evan Rodrigues’ first-period goal wouldn’t have been possible without Jesper Boqvist’s work along the boards. Boqvist bodied an Islanders player off the puck near the far blue line, allowing Anthony Mantha to collect it in the neutral zone and spring Rodrigues for the breakaway. Boqvist didn’t get an assist on the play, but his work was crucial in creating the opportunity.
• Rodrigues’ goal also ended an extended stretch without a Devils goal at UBS Arena. New Jersey had been shut out in its previous two visits to the building, and Rodrigues’ tally was the first for the Devils on Long Island since Brett Pesce scored on Dec. 23, 2025. The goal ended a stretch of 179:48 of game time without a Devils goal at UBS Arena. Keefe said the team had discussed its previous visits before the game, emphasizing that New Jersey was a different group than the one that last played in the building.
• Matthew Kessel seemingly received a penalty late in the second period after an exchange along the boards with Jesper Boqvist. Kessel headed to the penalty box, but the referee subsequently took to the microphone to announce there was no penalty on the play. Boqvist might have disagreed, considering Kessel’s skate blade appeared to become tangled in his skates during the exchange.
• The Devils generated 50 shots on goal tonight, the most the Islanders have faced in a game since March 2018. Sorokin turned aside 45 of them, including a number of spectacular stops as New Jersey searched for a way back into the game. Despite the significant shot advantage, the Devils had to overcome four Islanders goals on just 14 shots through the opening 40 minutes. The Islanders goaltender was a major reason New Jersey needed overtime to secure the victory.
• Luke Evangelista’s third-period goal and assist gave him a two-point night, with both points playing important roles in the comeback. Evangelista said afterward that his line had been generating opportunities without necessarily getting the results. He credited the group’s patience for eventually breaking through, noting that some games require the full 60 or 65 minutes to find a way to win.
• The late-second-period scrum between Luke Hughes and Matthew Schaefer added some extra intensity to an already physical rivalry game. Both players received roughing minors, and Hughes later downplayed the incident. “I wouldn’t call that a fight at all because neither of us had our gloves off,” he said. “It’s part of the game and just two competitive guys.” The two crossed paths again in overtime, with Hughes knocking the puck away from Schaefer before setting up his brother’s winning goal.
• The Devils went with an unusual power-play configuration during their brief five-on-three advantage in the third period. Keefe said the personnel decision was deliberate, explaining that with so little time on a two-man advantage, he wanted shooters capable of scoring from distance. Hamilton acknowledged that the group hadn’t practiced the exact setup but was able to adjust. “Good players make good plays,” he said. The eventual tying goal came after the Islanders had returned to four skaters.
• One of the more noticeable elements of the atmosphere at UBS Arena was a large contingent of Devils fans who made the trip to Long Island. Keefe specifically mentioned the group after the game, saying their “Let’s go Devils” chants immediately following the national anthem got the attention of players on the bench. “It was a pretty good feeling on the bench that they had some folks behind them tonight,” Keefe said. Jack Hughes also acknowledged the supporters after scoring the overtime winner, pointing toward the section in celebration.
• For the second consecutive game, the Devils won in overtime on a breakaway. Jesper Bratt scored the winner against St. Louis on Thursday before Jack Hughes delivered tonight against the Islanders. The Devils have now won three consecutive games that went beyond regulation, including Tuesday’s shootout victory over Edmonton. Keefe credited his team’s comfort in the three-on-three format, saying the players have bought into an approach that allows their skill to take over.