Vegas 4, NY Islanders 3
When: 2:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 19, 2021
Where: UBS Arena, Elmont, New York
Referees:
Gord Dwyer, Brian Pochmara
Linesmen:
Kyle Flemington, Libor Suchanek
Attendance:
17255
By Field Level Media
Shea Theodore scored the tying goal against New York in the final minute of regulation, his second tally of the night, and collected the first of Vegas' two scores in the shootout Sunday afternoon as the Golden Knights edged the New York Islanders 4-3 in Elmont, N.Y.
Jonathan Marchessault scored in the first period and Nicolas Roy also scored in the shootout for the Golden Knights, who completed a perfect four-game Eastern Conference road trip. Robin Lehner, starting against the Islanders on the road for the first time since his lone season with the team in 2018-19, made 29 saves in regulation and overtime before turning back two attempts by the Islanders in the shootout.
Brock Nelson scored in the first period before Kieffer Bellows and Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored the tying and go-ahead goals late in the third period for the Islanders, who have alternated wins with losses in the last six games. Goalie Ilya Sorokin recorded 31 saves.
The Islanders announced just before faceoff that Matt Martin and Robin Salo were placed in COVID-19 protocols. The NHL announced during the third period that New York's home game Monday against the Montreal Canadiens was among those postponed due to border travel concerns.
Marchessault and Nelson traded goals within a five-minute span in the first period before a scoreless second period was followed by a frantic third period, when the teams combined for four goals -- and one overturned tally.
Theodore scored 5:46 into the period to give the Golden Knights a 2-1 lead before Bellows scored the tying goal off a Vegas turnover with 5:41 left. A potential go-ahead goal by Cal Clutterbuck was overturned because the Islanders were offsides with 3:17 remaining, but Pageau broke the tie by beating Lehner from point-blank range 57 seconds later.
Lehner was pulled with about 90 seconds left and Theodore tied the score with a scorching shot from the blue line with 48 seconds remaining.
The Islanders outshot the Golden Knights 7-1 in overtime but could not produce the game-winner.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Vegas |
|
NY Islanders |
|
Shea Theodore 2 |
Points |
Oliver Wahlstrom 2 |
|
Shea Theodore 2 |
Goals |
Kieffer Bellows 1 |
|
Max Pacioretty 1 |
Assists |
Oliver Wahlstrom 2 |
|
Shea Theodore 1 |
Power Play Goals |
Brock Nelson 1 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Robin Lehner .906 |
Save Percentage |
Ilya Sorokin .912 |
|
Robin Lehner 29 |
Saves |
Ilya Sorokin 31 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Vegas
|
34 |
4 |
1-1 |
2-3 |
11 |
27 |
| NY Islanders
|
32 |
3 |
1-3 |
0-1 |
7 |
32 |
Upcoming Games
-
NY Islanders will play their next game at home against Montreal. The Islanders have a W/L % of .250 after a win and .333 after a loss.
-
Vegas will play their next game at home against Tampa Bay. The Golden Knights have a W/L % of .632 after a win and .667 after a loss.