NEW YORK — Any thoughts of a Devils comeback were quickly squashed in 60 seconds.
The New York Islanders turned a one-goal lead into a three-goal lead in the opening minute of the third period, ending any hope the Devils had in a 6-4 loss on Sunday at the Barclays Center.
The Devils trailed by three goals in the second period before netting a pair to draw within one goal at 4-3, but the Islanders responded with a John Tavares power-play goal 26 seconds into the third period through the legs of Devils goalie Keith Kinkaid for a 5-3 lead.
Jason Chimera then made it 6-3 when he took a Jon Merrill turnover on a breakaway, where he fired a high shot past Kinkaid 34 seconds later.
Why Cammalleri didn’t play again Sunday
The Islanders first appeared to seize control when they rattled off four straight goals in a 17-minute stretch between the first and second periods. They first tied the game at 1-1, answering a Miles Wood power play goal, at 14:33 in the first period when Ryan Strome scored from the slot over the left shoulder of Kinkaid.
Kinkaid made his most brilliant save of the season moments later, but a mental lapse cost him in the second period. Casey Cizikas wrapped around the net, shooting at the left post, and Kinkaid was caught standing, allowing the puck to slip through his feet untouched.
The Islanders added two more goals from the right circle in the second period, with Strome netting his second when the Devils couldn’t contain the puck in the defensive zone. Andrew Ladd then scored a short-handed goal when Joseph Blandisi lost the puck at the blue line and set up a breakaway at 11:59.
But the Devils cut the deficit to one goal before the second intermission. Kyle Palmieri netted his team-leading 16th goal from the slot at 13:21, and defenseman Steven Santini hit a slap shot bounced off Islanders forward Stephen Gionta and Devils forward Joseph Blandisi, then over goalie Jean-Francois Berube at 17:55 for Blandisi’s first goal of the season.
Taylor Hall added a power play goal in the third period to pull the Devils within 6-4 in the third period.
Injuries: Defenseman Kyle Quincey missed his fifth straight game and remains day-to-day with an upper body injury.
Next up: The Devils on Monday will have their first day off since Feb. 10, the final day of their bye week. They then resume play at the Prudential Center with a 7 p.m. game against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.
Chris Ryan may be reached at cryan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisRyan_NJ. Find NJ.com Devils on Facebook.
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
