Takeaways: Islanders Pick Up Point In 5-4 OT Loss To Devils

The New York Islanders picked up a point on Saturday night, but did so in a losing effort, falling 5-4 to the New Jersey Devils in overtime at UBS Arena.  

Jack Hughes scored the game-winner 1:18 into the extra frame. 

The Islanders surrendered a 4-2 third period lead following a goal from Luke Evangelista and a power-play tally from Dougie Hamilton. Hughes’ OT winner was a point of contention for the Islanders who felt Matthew Schaefer was tripped on the play preceding the overtime winner.  

“It could have been both ways, but I thought I did,” Schaefer said. “I mean, they could have seen otherwise. But I mean, at the end of the day, it's a good hockey game. They fought back. I thought we could have [played] a little bit of a better game leading up to it and hopefully we didn’t have to go to OT.”

The Islanders frustration was compounded by the four power play opportunities for the Devils compared to none for the Isles. Head Coach Pete DeBoer declined to comment on the officiating following the loss. 

The Devils received two power play looks with just over nine minutes left in the third period as Simon Holmström’s holding penalty and Adam Pelech’s high-sticking infraction set up 33 seconds of 5-on-3 time with 7:23 remaining.  

Holmström and Pelech’s penalties came 1:17 apart and Hamilton went on to tie the game at 4-4 with 6:18 to play after the Isles killed off the just over 30 seconds of 5-on-3 hockey.  

Holmström (1G, 1A) was one of four Islander goal scorers, which also included Anthony Duclair, Schaefer and Victor Eklund.  

Bo Horvat (2A) was one of 10 different Isles to record at least one point as the teams exchanged three goals over 2:08 in the final five minutes of the first period on Duclair, Evan Rodrigues and Schaefer’s tallies.

Twenty-six seconds after Declan Chisholm found the equalizer for the Devils 4:42 into the second period, Holmström and Eklund powered the Isles to a 4-2 lead before the Devils clawed back. 

Schaefer has 14 points (5G, 9A) over his last 12 games and is now tied with Tim Connolly for the second most career points by a teenager in Isles history (76). 

Another component of the Isles’ displeasure is they never trailed until Hughes’ overtime winner, but were outshot 50-23 by the Devils. 

It’s the first time since March 11, 2018, against the Calgary Flames that the Isles allowed 50 shots in a game.  

However, it was a stellar performance from goaltender Ilya Sorokin who played in his 319th career game with the Islanders and moved into sole possession of second place for games played by an Isles goaltender. 

Sorokin made a season-high 45 saves, matching the most he’s made in a game since Oct. 26, 2023.  

Ben Hutton made his Islanders debut and played 16:03 of time-on-ice.  

The Islanders moved to 7-6-3 on the season.

Sensational Sorokin

While the topic of officiating was something DeBoer quickly turned away from speaking about, he directed his attention to Sorokin and said he was the Islanders' best player against the Devils.  

The numbers reinforce DeBoer’s assertion as he made a myriad of critical stops including multiple pad save robberies of Nico Hischier.  

Sorokin’s 45 saves are tied for the third most he’s made in a single game in his career.  

Over his last two games against New Jersey, he’s made 82 saves combined after 37 on Oct. 3 and 45 on Nov. 7. Sorokin also made 44 stops against the Devils on Jan. 6 last season.  

The Islanders have earned at least one point in each of the last eight starts Sorokin has made against the Devils.  

“It's one of the best performances I've seen from him in I don't know how long,” Horvat said. “He's always phenomenal. Tonight he was extra special and kept us in the game and got us a point tonight.”

Schaefer Scraps With Luke Hughes

With 32.1 seconds left in the second period and the Islanders leading 4-2, tempers flared behind Sorokin’s cage. The scrum involved all five Islanders including Schaefer who showed a rare mean streak moment where he and Luke Hughes threw punches with the gloves on. 

 Schaefer landed on top of Hughes on the ice, sending UBS Arena into rapture as chants of “Matthew Schaefer” rained down when he and Logan Stanley were shown in the penalty box together on the video board.  

The moment was an uncharacteristic flash of snare and snarl between two of the best young defensemen in the league. 

“I think it was kind of just roughing up a bit, just kind of grabbing each other,” Schaefer said.  

Next Game

The Islanders head West for a three-game California swing that starts on Monday against the San Jose Sharks. Faceoff is set for 10 p.m. with coverage on MSGSN.