- Jack Hughes scored 1:18 into overtime to give the Devils a 5-4 win over the Islanders
- Simon Holmstrom called the non-call on Luke Hughes tripping Matthew Schaefer “an obvious penalty”
- Read below for the Islanders’ reaction and the 4-0 power-play gap
Jack Hughes ended Saturday’s game at UBS Arena 1:18 into overtime, and the Islanders are still stewing over the play that set it up.
Simon Holmstrom was asked about the trip the Islanders thought Luke Hughes got away with on Matthew Schaefer seconds before the winner.
“I think it’s an obvious penalty,” Holmstrom said. “If you compare them to the other ones, I think it’s pretty obvious. It is what it is.”
Watch Hughes finish it off:
Hughes beat Ilya Sorokin blocker side on a breakaway after Luke sent him the puck. Schaefer had been driving to the net when Luke got his stick on the puck and the rookie went down. Nobody blew a whistle, and the Devils walked away with a 5-4 win.
Schaefer was more measured when he talked about it.
“It could have been both ways, but I thought I did,” Schaefer said. “But they could have seen otherwise. At the end of the day, it’s a good hockey game.”
Islanders coach Pete DeBoer wouldn’t touch the subject. “I’m not making any comments on the refereeing calls, so don’t ask,” he said, then turned the conversation to Sorokin, who made 45 saves.
The Devils got four power plays and the Islanders got none. Two of them came back to back in the third period, a Holmstrom holding call and an Adam Pelech high-stick 1:17 apart that gave New Jersey 33 seconds of 5-on-3. Dougie Hamilton tied it 4-4 on the power play with 6:18 left. Here’s that goal:
DeBoer was honest about the bigger picture. “Did we deserve two tonight? Probably not,” he said. New Jersey outshot New York 50-23, the first time the Islanders have allowed 50 shots since March 2018, and the Islanders blew a 4-2 lead in the third.
It was already a feisty night. Schaefer and Luke Hughes got into a scrap late in the second period, which is part of why the trip in overtime stung so much for the home crowd.
Jack Hughes now has a league-best three overtime goals this season. The Devils are 12-5-0 and have won four straight, with Toronto next on Sunday night. The Islanders drop to 7-6-3 and head to California to face the Sharks on Monday.
