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Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders (Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images)

3 Takeaways From Islanders’ Overtime Win vs. Golden Knights

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Jean Patrick Vidad | Last updated Nov 14, 2025 9:45 AM ET

The New York Islanders notched their third straight win after edging the Vegas Golden Knights, 4-3, at the T-Mobile Arena on Thursday.

The Islanders have maintained an immaculate slate on their current road trip thus far, with four more games left ahead of them. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights dropped their fourth straight game at home as they will hit the road for a visiting stretch.

Islanders’ Offense Struck Quick

The Golden Knights controlled the offensive zone to start the game, creating more shot opportunities and launching more shots on goal. Shea Theodore fired three shots on the Islanders’ netminder, which Ilya Sorokin managed to save. Vegas also thwarted New York’s attempts and clogged passing lanes to disrupt plays and intercept the puck.

Mitch Marner snatched the puck on the way to a 2-on-1 odd-man rush. He slipped it to his teammate before receiving it to unleash a snapshot, which hit the left post. The Islanders zipped back in a transition play as Bo Horvat dished a pass to Emil Heineman, who snapped a shot that went into the right top corner of the goal for a 1-0 lead.

New York saw their first chance on the man advantage after Cole Reinhardt committed a holding penalty. Forty seconds into the power play, Schaefer sniped a shot from the high slot, which swooped past netminder Akira Schmid, stretching the Islanders’ lead to 2-0 to end the first frame.

Islanders Fended Off Pressure and Applied Their Own

Besides Theodore’s attempts in the early stages of the game, Zach Whitecloud, Brayden McNabb, and Jeremy Lauzon contributed a shot each, which Sorokin steered away. In their first power-play opportunity, the Golden Knights’ best chance came from Braeden Bowman willing the puck from the short side, which Sorokin saved.

Despite conceding a goal in the second period, New York made it as arduous a task for Vegas to nab it. The Golden Knights earned their second chance on the man advantage. Marner’s first shot in the two minutes went wide as Jack Eichel unloaded a shot and a rebound, which Sorokin denied. Aggressive forechecking kept the puck in the Islanders’ offensive zone, with skaters letting shots go from all cylinders.

Jonathan Drouin flicked a backdoor shot and a one-timer, which Schmid stopped. Mathew Barzal delivered a backhand and a shortside shot, which Schmid also caught. After New York stifled their offense, Shea Theodore weaved through the Islanders’ defense as he scored Vegas’ goal of the game, trimming the deficit to one, 2-1.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s Drills the Overtime Winner

The Golden Knights tallied two quick hitters to snag the lead for the first time in the game. After the Islanders persisted in their relentless forechecking, taking control of the offensive zone, Vegas answered with a quick hitter as Tomas Hertl dumped in Jeremy Lauzon’s shot, on top of drawing a penalty, which resulted in a power play in the next possession. They capitalized on the man advantage as Reilly Smith curled and dragged the puck before burying a rebound to hand his team the advantage, 3-2.

New York’s challenge regarding goalie interference was deemed unsuccessful, and therefore gave the Golden Knights another power play to work with. The Islanders snuck in a couple of shorthanded attempts after Horvat overshot the puck, followed by Schmid tracking down Schaefer’s shot. Head coach Patrick Roy then decided to pull Sorokin for an extra attacker, which paid off as Schaefer fed the puck to Barzal as he slapped a one-timer goal to tie the game, 3-3.

In overtime, the two teams exchanged their best tirades with Theodore untucking shots that hit the post, and Sorokin turned away as Hertl followed up with a tip-in that struck the crossbar. On the other end, Barzal muscled his way for a shot, but fell short as linemates tried to tip the puck in, but were met with no success. Then, from a faceoff, Pageau rushed on a one-on-one breakaway as he pulled the trigger on the overtime winner to give New York their third straight win.

Three Is a “Lucky” Number

If the Islanders want to prove that these past three games are anything but a fluke, they need to remain consistent on the remainder of their road trip. They still have a strong schedule ahead, including the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars. If these past three games have proven anything, it is that New York has responded to tall tasks. If asked for a reason as to why they could replicate that, it is that they have already proven capable of meeting and even exceeding expectations.