NHL

Devils defeat Islanders with late goals

Lightning struck late, then again, 14 seconds apart. The bolts from the blue meant the Devils found yet another way to win.

A sterner test may be coming when the Flyers visit Prudential Center on Sunday evening, but the Islanders gave the Devils all they could handle Saturday night at Nassau Coliseum.

Handle it the Devils did, finally, in their most dramatic victory of the season, one that means more than their romp over the Islanders on Thursday in Newark. Saturday night, they snatched inspiring triumph from the brink of demoralizing loss.

PHOTOS: DEVILS BEAT ISLANDERS

Facing a second shutout loss in a week to rookie Anders Nilsson, trailing by one as time dwindled, the Devils suddenly blitzed the Islanders for a pair in the final 1:39 of play for a 2-1 victory.

“I’m proud of the way we hung in there,” goalie Johan Hedberg said. “We lost 1-0 here a week ago, and the first goal usually means a ton. We kept coming.All of a sudden, the game’s turned around.

“It’s a great feeling.”

The Devils can’t enjoy it long. They trail the Flyers by two points in the standings as they open and home-and-home pair with Philadelphia.

“It was a big win for us, but we have to keep going,” said David “Clutch” Clarkson, who started the comeback that Marek Zidlicky completed.

Don’t expect the Devils to tank, but if they pass the Flyers for the fifth spot, they would be setting themselves up for a first-round crash into the red-hot Penguins, 9-1 in 10 and expected to regain Sidney Crosby this week.

As it stands, the Devils would open the playoffs a month from now in Florida, perhaps a better scenario for survival.

Meanwhile, the devastating loss further sinks the Islanders, the last team to win four straight Stanley Cups. They are heading for their fifth consecutive seasons out of the playoffs, and 13th in 17 seasons, having missed seven straight 1995-2001.

The Devils’ 83 points already has surpassed last season’s total of 81, the first season in 14 that they missed postseason.

The goalies dueled perfectly for 45 shots until John Tavares put away P.A. Parenteau’s pass from behind the net to the left circle 6:46 into the third. Tavares fired his 27th over Hedberg’s waffle on the Islanders’ 27th shot while the Devils’ goalie still was looking for the passer.

A duplicate 1-0 loss to Nilsson loomed, until Clarkson came out from behind the net, turned and tied the game with 1:39 left, his 28th of the season giving him a three-game goal streak.

“He’s always scored big goals at big times, at least for me,” said Pete DeBoer, who also coached Clarkson in junior hockey. “He’s always had that knack.”

Just eight seconds later, Parenteau sticked Bryce Salvador into the boards, and Jersey’s latest acquisition, Marek Zidlicky, gave New Jersey victory six seconds into the power play with his point shot.

“We tried to stay positive and takes shots from everywhere,” said Zidlicky, whose first goal as a Devil was a massive game-winner.

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The Islanders visit the Rangers Sunday night. The Devils make a return visit to Philadelphia on Tuesday to complete 10 days against their three neighboring rivals. … Colorado visits New Jersey on Thursday, with Pittsburgh resuming the Atlantic onslaught Saturday in Newark.