NEW YORK (AP) — Noah Dobson scored 3:52 into overtime to give the New York Islanders a 3-2 victory over the slumping Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.
Anders Lee and Anthony Beauvillier scored for the Islanders, who got their first win beyond regulation this season after losing the first six. Ilya Sorokin stopped 17 shots to help New York improve to 3-0-1 in the last four games overall, and 4-0-1 at home after losing the first seven (0-5-2) at the new $1.1 billion UBS Arena.
“The way we’re going, we feel good,” Lee said. “We’re getting pucks to the net. We’re winning draws. Our zone entries are a lot better and our decisions when we have a look were really good.”
In the extra period, Dobson came on the ice as a substitution, got the puck and fired it past Mikko Koskinen’s blocker for his fifth of the season. All of his goals have come in the last 10 games, in which he also has three assists.
“It definitely feels great,” Dobson said of his game-winning goal. “The atmosphere was great in there, the crowd was buzzing. I was happy to score a big one. I will definitely remember that one.”
The Islanders were without coach Barry Trotz, who missed the game for personal (non-COVID-19) reasons. Also, assistant coach John Gruden and goalie coach Piero Greco were placed in COVID-19 protocol. Associate coach Lane Lambert ran the bench with assistant coach Jim Hiller.
Leon Draisaitl got his NHL-leading 25th goal and Darnell Nurse also scored for Edmonton, which lost in overtime for the second straight day after a 6-5 loss at New Jersey on Friday. Koskinen finished with 26 saves as the Oilers fell to 2-7-2 in their last 11 after starting the season 16-5-0.
“It was a hard-fought game,” Oilers coach Dave Tippett said. “That’s a hard turnaround when you have back to back in the afternoon. Our guys competed hard right to the end. You could tell we were tired a little bit in the third period, but we hung in there.”
The Oilers came in with the league’s top power play at 31%, but had no chances. Edmonton also lost for the first time when leading after two periods after going 12-0 in such games.
Beauvillier tied it 2-2 early in the third period off the rebound of a shot by Austin Czarnik, quickly putting it into the top left corner for his fifth of the season.
Edmonton didn’t get its first of the third period until Sorokin denied Jesse Puljujarvi’s attempt with 5:21 remaining. The Oilers had one more shot on goal in the period, and none in overtime.
The Oilers tied it 1-1 just 31 seconds into the second period as Draisaitl skated toward the net from the left circle. His centering pass deflected off Islanders forward Matt Martin’s skate and past Sorokin. It tied Draisaitl with teammate Connor McDavid for the league lead with 52 points.
Draisaitl, who has two goals and seven points during a five-game point-scoring streak, has an NHL-best 27 points (15 goals, 12 assists) in road games.
The Oilers had chances to take the lead, but Colton Sceviour hit a goalpost 47 seconds later, and Duncan Keith fired a shot off the crossbar.
Edmonton went ahead 2-1 after Sorokin stopped shots by McDavid and Zach Hyman, but Nurse’s attempt went off Beauvillier’s stick for his second goal of the season.
“The second (period) was good, that’s the way we want to play all game,” Nurse said. “They had a better third and it resulted in them getting the extra point.”
The Islanders took a 1-0 lead after 20 fast-paced minutes. Just 14 seconds after the Islanders went on a power play, Lee stopped Kieffer Bellows’ pass from the left circle in front and backhanded it past Koskinen for his 10th of the season. It tied Brock Nelson for the team lead and was New York’s eighth goal with the man-advantage in the last nine games.
SIDELINED
Edmonton was without forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the team’s third-leading scorer with 26 points (three goals, 23 assists). Nugent-Hopkins was injured in the third period at New Jersey.
LONG HOMESTAND
After opening the season with 13 straight road games before opening their new home on Nov. 20, the Islanders are in a stretch of nine straight there. That’s due to some COVID-19-induced postponements: Montreal on Dec. 20, Washington on Dec. 23, at Buffalo on Dec. 27, against Detroit on Dec. 29, and their upcoming four-game trip with stops in Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary. The opener of the trip at Seattle was also postponed. New York will next play at home against New Jersey on Jan. 13.
“You try to get in a rhythm,” Lee said. “This is what is presented to us. We can take this time to work on a few things and get healthy and take on the rest of the year and everything without interruptions.”
The Islanders are also in a stretch of 14 of 15 at home leading to the NHL All-Star break, with the lone road game at Toronto on Jan. 22.
UP NEXT
Oilers: at New York Rangers on Monday night to continue a five-game trip.
Islanders: host New Jersey on Jan. 13 to continue a stretch of nine straight at home.
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