Emil Heineman scored the decisive goal in the fourth round of the shootout, and Ilya Sorokin stopped every Vegas attempt as the New York Islanders edged the Vegas Golden Knights 5–4 on Tuesday night — despite giving up the tying goal in the final seconds of regulation.
Sorokin turned aside 33 shots through regulation and overtime, then went 4-for-4 in the shootout to secure the win.
Islanders Rally After Slow Start
New York fell behind 2–0 early but stormed back with three unanswered goals.
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Bo Horvat scored twice,
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Marc Gatcomb added one, and
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Simon Holmstrom also found the net.
The win pushed the Islanders to 5–0 against Pacific Division teams this season.
Golden Knights Force OT Late
Vegas refused to fade. Goals from Ivan Barbashev, Mitch Marner, and Noah Hanifin kept them within striking distance before Pavel Dorofeyev buried the dramatic equalizer with 14 seconds left.
The late tally came moments after the Islanders were forced to kill a high-sticking penalty on Kyle MacLean, successfully surviving to reach overtime.
Carter Hart, unbeaten in his first two starts back in the NHL, made 23 saves but suffered his first loss since returning.
Shootout Decider
With neither side scoring in OT, the shootout went to a fourth round, where Heineman slipped a precise shot under Hart’s glove for the win. Sorokin sealed it moments later with his final stop.
The Islanders completed a season sweep of Vegas, also winning 4–3 in overtime on Nov. 13 on Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s short-handed winner.
Up Next
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Golden Knights: Visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night.
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Islanders: Host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.
