Two points and three days of rest were exactly what the Islanders needed for Christmas.
That they got their best all-around effort in five games without Bo Horvat — and the hope is that their leading scorer returns when the Islanders return to action on Saturday against the Rangers — only made Adam Pelech’s game-winning-goal and a 2-1 victory over the Devils in front of a sellout crowd feel even better.
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“I think we’ve put good hockey together that’s enticed people to come see it,” said Anders Lee, who fed Pelech off the end boards for the winner with 1:15 left in regulation. “We got a lot of young talent. Some new blood and we’re playing good hockey. So you put that combination together, people are wanting to come to the game it seems. It’s making a big difference for us.”
This was as much an all-around effort as the Islanders have produced all season.
They got bodies around the net, two or three at a time. All four lines played well, with Mat Barzal and Cal Ritchie both having standout nights.
New York Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech (3) celebrates with his teammates after he scores the game-winning goal during the third period when the New York Islanders played the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, December 23, 2025 at UBS Arena in Elmont, NY. Robert Sabo for NY Post
Jack Hughes, who has turned UBS Arena into a personal playground numerous times in the past, was held quiet. There was requisite intensity on the forecheck.
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And David Rittich — starting a second consecutive game with Ilya Sorokin dealing with a nagging issue, from which he’s expected to return after Christmas — heard his name chanted by the UBS crowd amid a starring 31-save performance.
“It was a really cool experience to have,” Rittich said. “Hopefully I can hear it more and more.”
The Islanders’ only problem was that, aside from an unforced error leading to Simon Holmstrom’s second-period goal, Devils netminder Jacob Markstrom was imperious.
So, despite a 10-2 edge on high-danger chances in the second, the Islanders had just a 1-1 tie to show for it heading into the final 20 minutes, with Brett Pesce’s wrister having gotten New Jersey on the board at 15:35 of the first.
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That was how it continued for much of the third: The Islanders all over the Devils, the Islanders unable to score. Rittich, when called upon on odd-man rushes against Luke Glendening and Connor Brown, was every bit as good as Markstrom opposite him.
It was the rare 2-1 game that not only had no penalties from either team, but which could have been 5-4.
Finally, with 1:15 to go in regulation and overtime feeling inevitable, the Islanders got something to go.
After Simon Holmstrom missed the net on what looked like a golden chance off the rush, Lee picked the puck off the end wall and fed Pelech, who promptly rifled it into the net for a 2-1 lead.
New York Islanders goaltender David Rittich (33) makes a save during the second period when the New York Islanders played the New Jersey Devils Tuesday, December 23, 2025 at UBS Arena in Elmont, NY. Robert Sabo for NY Post
That was how it stayed after 75 seconds of frantic six-on-five play, vaulting the Islanders into the Metropolitan Division’s top three over the holiday break.
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The Islanders were quietly confident they had found something that worked in the second half of Saturday’s 3-2 shootout loss to the Sabres. That was proven correct.
“We started doing that [traffic around the net] against Buffalo, that was part of the things we talked about,” coach Patrick Roy said. “I felt like our guys did a really good job attacking the net and having net presence.”
With his Islanders sitting on 44 points through 37 games, far outpacing the expectations of 10 weeks ago, Roy also hinted at what the goal is over the next four months.
“It’s a big difference in the standings if you’re losing or winning that game,” he said. “And I think we’re gonna look at the standings, pretty much, a lot until the end of the year.”