Jack Hughes has 2 goals, assist, Devils rally for OT victory against Islanders

ELMONT, N.Y. -- Jack Hughes scored his second goal of the game at 2:35 of overtime, and the New Jersey Devils defeated the New York Islanders 4-3 at UBS Arena on Saturday.

Dougie Hamilton sprung Hughes on a breakaway, where he beat Ilya Sorokin blocker side to give the Devils their third straight win.

“To come back means we’re growing,” Devils forward Stefan Noesen said. “To me, that’s all that [win] really means. We’re OK with being down a goal or two as long as you stick with the process. Tonight, the process was to get pucks in, get in behind them and forecheck their defense.”

Dawson Mercer and Noesen scored, and Hamilton had three assists for the Devils (10-5-2). Hughes added an assist, and Jacob Markstrom made 19 saves.

“Well, I wasn’t too impressed that we gave up two like we did,” Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said. “I didn’t say anything to articulate that, other than, ‘Let’s not go away here.’ Really, the players took charge. They stuck with it. That was a huge goal by Mercer. That was a great play by [Paul] Cotter to drive us down there and get the puck inside. That’s what we didn’t do much of in that third up until that point. It gave us life, and then 6-on-5 came through.”

Simon Holmstrom had a goal and an assist, and Dennis Cholowski and Brock Nelson scored for the Islanders (6-6-3), who had won two in a row. Sorokin made 29 saves.

“I will be very honest. Tonight, I'm disappointed for our guys,” Islanders coach Patrick Roy said. “The first 40 was not our best. We didn't forecheck like we were capable of. We didn’t possess the puck offensively. I mean, they had a lot of good chances. Ilya [Sorokin] made some great saves for us, but in the third, we played hard, and we played well, and it's too bad that we gave up a goal hitting our skate and it went in. That's bad luck. I know it's cliche, and we repeat that, but it is what it is.”

Holmstrom gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead at 13:09 of the first period after he beat Markstrom with a forehand deke. After Matt Martin’s hit in the right corner, Kyle MacLean took the puck and fed Holmstrom in front of the net.

Hughes tied the game 1-1 on the power play at 5:57 of the second. After Hamilton fed Hughes inside the left face-off dot, he scored on a wrist shot through Nico Hischier's screen, beating Sorokin low glove side.

Cholowski gave the Islanders a 2-1 lead at 10:30 of the third after he beat Markstrom glove side from inside the left face-off dot off a cross-ice feed from Holmstrom.

Nelson beat Markstrom high glove side from the slot 1:54 later to give the Islanders a 3-1 lead at 12:26 of the third period. Kyle Palmieri made a move inside the blue line before finding Nelson.

“There was a little punch in the face when we got scored on and got scored on again. Especially when you knew you were playing a good game,” Hischier said. “We were cheating there a little bit. That’s why we got scored on. But we went right back at it.”

Mercer made it 3-2 at 15:33 of the third after he beat Sorokin high blocker side from the slot off a feed from Cotter from below the goal line.

“I'm glad with the way that we responded from the first half of the game and in the second half of the second and in the third,” Islanders forward Casey Cizikas said. “We played really good hockey after that first half, but that one stings. I really wish we could’ve gotten two [points] there.”

With the goalie pulled, Noesen tied the game 3-3 at 19:10 after his pass to the top of the crease banked off Islanders defenseman Grant Hutton’s left skate and in.

“It felt great [to see that go in],” Hischier said. “Those are the moments you play hockey for. It was an emotional, tight game. I think we played a well-enough game to win that game. Getting rewarded for it makes it even better.”

NOTES: Hughes has three goals and three assists over his past two games. … Hamilton extended his point streak to three games (five assists). ... Holmstrom has two goals and three assists over his past five games. … Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov missed his fifth straight game but will travel with the team on their upcoming five-game road trip. … Islanders defenseman Mike Reilly (upper body) is out indefinitely.