National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
NY Islanders 3, New Jersey 2
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, January 9, 2015
Where: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Referees: Brad Watson, Ghislain Hebert
Linesmen: John Grandt, Derek Nansen
Attendance: 16592


Islanders 3, Devils 2 (OT): Captain John Tavares scored his second goal at 3:05 of overtime as visiting New York claimed sole possession of first place in the Metropolitan Division.

Tavares, who also had an assist, banked a sharp-angle shot off the right pad of Long Island native Keith Kinkaid and into the net to forge a 2-2 tie with 6:13 remaining in the third period. Tavares wasn't done as he lifted the stick of defenseman Adam Larsson in the right corner before skating out into the right circle and wristing a shot inside the left post in overtime.

Josh Bailey also tallied for the Islanders, who have won five straight at the Prudential Center and moved one point ahead of Pittsburgh. Jaroslav Halak turned aside 21 shots while making his sixth consecutive start.

Travis Zajac scored his second goal in three contests and Scott Gomez also tallied for the Devils, who have dropped two in a row overall and fell to 0-1-2 in three meetings with New York. Kinkaid finished with 28 saves to drop to 1-2-3 this season.

After having one apparent goal disallowed earlier in the second period, Zajac exchanged passes with Patrik Elias before unleashing a one-timer over the right shoulder of Halak from the inner edge of the right circle at 11:57. Bailey deflected defenseman Calvin de Haan's wrist shot from above the left circle at 1:02 of the third to knot the contest at 1-1 before Adam Henrique beat Halak to a loose puck and fed Gomez for an easy conversion at 7:23.

GAME NOTEBOOK: New Jersey nearly drew first blood early in the second as Zajac converted from the doorstep, but also used his stick to push both Halak and the puck into the net. Officials quickly disallowed the goal. ... New York C Mikhail Grabovski briefly returned after injuring his left leg while blocking a shot in the first period, before sitting out late in the second. ... Gomez's goal was his fourth of the season, matching his total from the previous two campaigns with San Jose and Florida.
Top Game Performances
 
NY Islanders   New Jersey
John Tavares 3 Points Scott Gomez 1
John Tavares 2 Goals Scott Gomez 1
John Tavares 1 Assists Patrik Elias 1
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Jaroslav Halak .913 Save Percentage Keith Kinkaid .903
Jaroslav Halak 21 Saves Keith Kinkaid 28
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
NY Islanders 31 3 0-4 1-1 9 37
New Jersey 23 2 0-1 4-4 13 25
Upcoming Games
  • New Jersey will play their next game on the road against Los Angeles. The Devils have a W/L % of .375 after a win and .321 after a loss.
  • NY Islanders will play their next game on the road against Columbus. The Islanders have a W/L % of .731 after a win and .533 after a loss.