Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored an unassisted short-handed goal 3:02 into overtime as the New York Islanders rallied for their third straight victory, a 4-3 decision over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday in Las Vegas.
Pageau picked up a loose puck by the boards in his own zone and then raced up the right wing and snapped a wrist shot from the top of the right circle past the blocker side of Vegas goalie Akira Schmid for the game-winner.
Matthew Schaefer had a goal and an assist, Bo Horvat and Jonathan Drouin each had two assists and Emil Heineman and Mathew Barzal also scored goals for New York. Ilya Sorokin finished with 26 saves to improve to 4-0-1 in his past five starts and 4-2-1 all-time against Vegas.
Shea Theodore scored his first goal of the season and Tomas Hertl and Reilly Smith also tallied for Vegas. Schmid made 20 saves for the Golden Knights, who suffered their fourth straight loss (0-2-2), all at home.
Vegas held the Islanders without a shot on goal over the first 10:42 of the opening period, but it was New York that went into the locker room on top at the first intermission.
Heineman made it 1-0 at the 14:03 mark when he ripped a wrist shot from the right circle that changed direction off the stick of Vegas’ Jack Eichel and went into the far left corner of the net.
Schaefer increased the lead to 2-0 less than four minutes later with a power-play goal. The 18-year-old defenseman, who was the No. 1 overall pick of the NHL draft in June, snapped a shot from above the circles, past a Kyle Palmieri screen and past Schmid’s blocker side.
Vegas cut the deficit to 2-1 late in the second period. Theodore took the puck at the right point and then weaved his way around defenders and into the slot before tucking a wrist shot inside the left post as he fell to the ice at 18:56.
The Golden Knights tied it midway through the third period when Hertl smashed in a rebound of a Jeremy Lauzon shot from the low slot on a delayed penalty.
Vegas took its first lead, 3-2, at the 10:45 mark of the third. Smith put a sharp-angled rebound into an open net from the right side of the net to snap a 13-game goal drought dating to his overtime winner on Oct. 9 at San Jose.
New York pulled Sorokin for an extra attacker with 3:10 to go and Barzal tied it with 2:37 left with a one-timer from the top of the left circle past Schmid’s blocker side.
–Field Level Media
