Islanders tie it late, drop 4-3 decision in OT Horvat, Nelson socre doubles in loss

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In Elmont, Jack Hughes’ second goal of the game came in extra time in a 5-4 win for the New Jersey Devils over the Islanders.

“That play really started 25 seconds before,” Hughes said of his overtime goal. “[Timo Meier, Dawson Mercer and John Marino] did a really good job of controlling the puck, and they didn’t let the Islanders cross the red line, so they couldn’t change. They had tired guys with bad gaps, and I came on the ice with fresh legs, saw his feet turn, and took the shot.”

Akira Schmid made 28 saves in the win.

The Isles’ Bo Horvat  also hit for a double for the Islanders. His second of the night came with 71 seconds left in regulation to force the extra session and help New York gain the loser’s point.

Brock Nelson, who added a pair of his own for the Islanders, opened the scoring in the first period to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead.

New Jersey tied it with a minute left in the frame on a power play strike by Dougie Hamilton.

Tyler Toffoli scored with 21 seconds gone in the middle frame for a 2-1 lead to New Jersey.

The Islanders tied it on Nelson’s second of the game at 1:37 of the second.

Luke Hughe struck a minute later on the power play to restore the New Jersey lead, 3-2.

“I thought the execution was really good,” New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said. “You don’t have many nights like that where you click, and all those opportunities go in. It’s something that we are going to continue to keep working on.”

Less than four minutes later Bo Horvat picked up his first to tie the game, 3-3.

Jack Hughes then scored at 4:30 of the third to give New Jersey the 4-3 lead before Horvat forced extra time.Ilya Sorokin  made 35 saves in the loss.

“We talk about him (Sorokin) all the time, about how many saves he makes,” Nelson said. “Tonight was more than we’d like in terms of quantity and quality and highlight reel, but it’s just a guy who goes out there, lays it out on the line, is a gamer, and gives us a chance every night even when maybe we aren’t at our best.”