Islanders Rally in Overtime to Defeat Vegas 4-3 in NHL Match

Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored a stunning unassisted short-handed goal 3:02 into overtime to lead the New York Islanders to a 4-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday in Las Vegas. Pageau picked up a loose puck in his own zone, raced up the right wing, and fired a wrist shot past Vegas goalie Akira Schmid to seal the victory.

New York received strong performances across the lineup. Matthew Schaefer scored a goal and added an assist, while Bo Horvat and Jonathan Drouin each contributed two assists. Emil Heineman and Mathew Barzal also found the net. Goalie Ilya Sorokin finished with 26 saves, improving his recent record to 4-0-1 in the past five starts and 4-2-1 all-time against Vegas.

Shea Theodore, Tomas Hertl, and Reilly Smith scored for the Golden Knights. Schmid made 20 saves but Vegas suffered its fourth consecutive home loss, going 0-2-2 in the streak. Despite dominating early, Vegas could not maintain the lead.

Vegas held the Islanders without a shot on goal for the first 10:42 of the opening period. However, New York struck first when Emil Heineman scored at 14:03 with a wrist shot that deflected off Jack Eichel’s stick into the net. Schaefer then extended the lead to 2-0 with a power-play goal, firing past Schmid from above the circles.

Vegas narrowed the gap to 2-1 late in the second period. Theodore took the puck from the right point, navigated past defenders, and tucked a wrist shot inside the left post. The third period saw Hertl tie the game on a rebound of Jeremy Lauzon’s shot, followed by Smith giving Vegas its first lead at 3-2 with a sharp-angled rebound goal.

New York pulled Sorokin for an extra attacker with 3:10 remaining. Mathew Barzal scored a critical one-timer from the top of the left circle with 2:37 left, sending the game into overtime. The Islanders maintained momentum and ultimately triumphed through Pageau’s decisive short-handed strike.

With this victory, the Islanders recorded their third consecutive win, demonstrating resilience and team effort. Sorokin’s strong goaltending and timely goals from key players ensured New York overcame a determined Vegas squad and secured an important road victory.