Lazar scores winner with 23 seconds left as the Devils rally past the Islanders 5-4
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Curtis Lazar scored the winning goal with 23 seconds left and Akira Schmid made 10 saves in relief as the New Jersey Devils rallied past the New York Islanders 5-4 on Tuesday night.
Lazar slid a loose puck past Ilya Sorokin for his fourth of the season to complete a three-goal comeback by the Devils in the third period.
New York led 4-2 entering the third before Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier scored to tie it. Hughes got his seventh goal at 5:08, then Hischier netted his fourth on a power play at 11:10. Hughes also had two assists.
Michael McLeod and Dawson Mercer also scored for the Devils, who were coming off a 7-2 win over Buffalo last Saturday.
Mathew Barzal and Cal Clutterbuck scored 1:16 apart midway through the second to put the Islanders ahead 3-2 before Jean-Gabriel Pageau gave them a two-goal cushion at 13:05.
Bo Horvat also scored for the Islanders, who lost in regulation for the first time in seven games.
Barzal and Noah Dobson had two assists apiece for New York. Barzal leads the team with 19 points.
With the Islanders trailing 2-1 in the second, Barzal scored his sixth of the season on a breakaway at 8:24 before Clutterbuck put New York ahead 3-2 off a scramble in front of Devils netminder Vitek Vanecek at 9:40. Clutterbuck’s goal was his third of the season, with assists to Casey Cizikas and Julien Gauthier. It was Gauthier’s first point with the Islanders.
Pageau made it 4-2 with his first goal of the season, assisted by Barzal and Alexander Romanov.
Schmid replaced Vanecek in net after Pageau’s goal. Vanecek allowed four goals on 18 shots.
Horvat opened the scoring at 5:16 of the first with a power-play goal, his sixth of the season. Dobson and Barzal assisted.
McLeod tied it at 10:29 with his fourth, assisted by Lazar. Mercer made it 2-1 at 4:19 of the second, finishing off a 2-on-1 with Hughes by rifling the puck past Sorokin for his fifth.
Mike Reilly made his Islanders debut after the defenseman was claimed off waivers from Florida.
UP NEXT
Islanders: Visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.
Devils: Visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.
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