Devils Stun Islanders with Third Period Rally
Curtis Lazar played the roll of hero for the New Jersey Devils, scoring the game winning goal with 23 seconds to go as New Jersey upended the New York Islanders 5-4 at Prudential Center.
Lazar snuck the puck past goalie Ilya Sorokin after New Jersey tried to post up on a slap shot that initially bounced before a battle in front of the net occurred.
The come from behind victory puts the Devils at 10-9-1 on the season, while dropping the Isles to 8-7-6. The Islanders were enjoying a 4-2 lead at one point.
Matthew Brazal and Cal Clutterbuck scored midway through the second to put the Isles up 3-2 before Jean-Gabriel Pageau lit the lamp at the 13:05 mark in the second period to put the Islanders up by a deuce.
with a little over 15 minutes to go in the third period, Jack Hughes netted his seventh goal on an assist from Dawson Mercer to cut the Islanders lead to 4-3. Finally, six minutes later Nico Hischier knotted the game up with his fourth goal of the year.
“What a fun game to go back and forth. We found a way to win. It was a grind,” Lazar said. “To get those two points in regulation, it’s big for the hockey club.”
