The New York Islanders defeated the New Jersey Devils 1-0 on Sunday afternoon.
It was the first game for the Islanders following their elimination from playoff contention.
Ilya Sorokin returned to the crease following his injury in the Islanders' 7-6 loss to the Nashville Predators on April 8.
Jacob Markstrom made his first start since April 8 when he conceded seven goals on 23 shots in a loss to the Boston Bruins.
Here’s how it happened:
Penalties by Casey Cizikas and Nathan Bastian gave both teams a power play in the first half of the period, but neither capitalized.
The Islanders nearly opened the scoring at 11:01, but it was deemed not to be a goal.
Around the 13:30 mark, Pierre Engvall fired a wrist shot off the post, followed by Hudson Fasching’s rebound attempt, which was turned aside by Markstrom.
The Devils outshot the Islanders 10-8 in the period.
A Paul Cotter elbow to Adam Pelech at the 6:00 mark resulted in a five-minute major and match penalty. This was the second time Cotter has been ejected from a game for an illegal hit to the head, the last time coming in 2023.
The hit left Pelech with blood gushing from his nose as he left the ice:
Paul Cotter gets ejected for going up high to #Isles Adam Pelech. pic.twitter.com/tTsLbhwJlP
— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) April 13, 2025
He did not return.
The Islanders had one shot on goal and did not score during the five-minute power play.
Bo Horvat found the game’s first goal in the final minute when he intercepted a Timo Meier pass before sniping Markstrom glove-side:
Horvat. 1-0. That was easy. pic.twitter.com/oBfpSEuByI
— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) April 13, 2025
This was Horvat’s 28th goal of the season and fourth in his past six games.
The Devils outshot the Islanders 6-5 in the period.
It was an uneventful third period that saw neither side generate much offense.
Sorokin turned aside all 23 shots faced for the shutout and Horvat found the game's lone goal as the Islanders earned their 35th win of the season.
UP NEXT: The Islanders battle the Washington Capitals on Tuesday at 7:30 EST.