NEWARK, NJ — Despite looking fatigued after playing eight games in 13 nights, the Islanders secured a win for the second consecutive game. Bo Horvat emerged as the hero again, scoring the decisive backhand goal under goalie Jake Allen with 3:27 remaining, leading to a 3-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center before the Olympic break. Horvat had also scored twice in a previous comeback win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, including the overtime goal.
The Islanders (32-21-5, 69 points) were outshot 24-14, relying on goalie Ilya Sorokin’s 23 saves and crucial goal-line stops by defensemen Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock in the second period.
Head coach Patrick Roy praised the team’s boldness and confidence, stating, “We’re going to find a way to win… There’s a lot of joy. They’re having fun, and I don’t think anyone wanted to leave this building without a win.”
The victory, coupled with another recent win, keeps the Islanders one point behind the Penguins in the Metropolitan Division with a three-week break ahead, during which Horvat (Canada) and Ondrej Palat (Czechia) will participate in the Winter Games in Milan-Cortina.
Horvat commented on the win’s importance, saying, “Huge not only standings-wise, but confidence going into the break, knowing we’re in a good spot.”
An error by Allen led to the Islanders’ first goal at 6:30 in the second period. Marc Gatomb passed to Kyle MacLean, whose shot was initially saved by Allen, but Cizikas capitalized on the rebound.
The Islanders had only seven shots by the end of the second period, allowing the Devils to tie the game when Nico Hischier scored with a feed from Jesper Bratt.
After losing a face-off, Horvat managed to advance the puck and, maneuvering around Allen’s poke-check attempt, scored the winning goal between the goalie’s pads.
Horvat reflected, “It wasn’t a clean draw win… I tried to battle as hard as I could to get it… Allen tried to poke-check, and thankfully, I got around it and slipped it five-hole.”
Mathew Barzal sealed the game with an empty-net goal, leaving 23.6 seconds on the clock.
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