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Guerin's overtime goal lifts Islanders over Devils

Oct 21, 2007 - 3:08 AM By Doug Mittler PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

UNIONDALE, New York (Ticker) -- Bill Guerin scored a power-play goal with just four seconds remaining in overtime to give the New York Islanders a 4-3 victory over the road-weary New Jersey Devils on Saturday.

Mike Comrie and Miroslav Satan each had a goal and an assist for the Islanders, who blew a two-goal, third-period lead but won for just the second time in their last six meetings with the Devils.

"We didn't fold or feel sorry for ourselves," Islanders coach Ted Nolan said. "We kept it going in overtime."

A tripping penalty to New Jersey defenseman Andy Greene gave New York a power play with 32 seconds to play. Comrie received the puck down low and, after his initial shot was stopped, the center shoveled the puck in front to Guerin, who put it in a vacant net.

"You want to be aggressive in that situation, but you have to make sure that you make the right play," Comrie said. "That was a 4-on-3, but it was a broken play."

It was the fourth goal of the season for the 19-year veteran, who recorded a hat trick against Washington on Thursday.

The game was the eighth of a season-opening nine-game road trip for New Jersey, which concludes the trek Thursday against the New York Rangers. The Devils play their first game at the new Prudential Center in Newark next Saturday against Ottawa.

This contest also marked the return to Nassau Coliseum for first-year Devils coach Brent Sutter, who played 10-plus seasons with the Islanders and won a pair of Stanley Cups with them.

Sutter refused to blame the officials, instead finding fault with his team allowing goals by Josef Vasicek, Satan and Comrie in a second period in which it was outshot, 16-7. "They have to make a call. What can you do?" Sutter said. "We lost because of the second period. That's the bottom line."

Kevin Weekes made his second start of the season in place of Martin Brodeur - who has 38 career wins against the Islanders - and made 32 saves.

"It's tough to lose a game like that," Weekes said. "The way it was going, it would have been nice to get to a shootout."

Zach Parise, the son of former Islander J.P. Parise, gave the Devils the lead 55 seconds into the game, putting a wrist shot over the shoulder of goaltender Rick DiPietro. Zach Parise took a pass from Dainius Zubrus, who had taken away the puck from Ruslan Fedotenko.

The Islanders scored three goals in the second, including two just 2:04 apart, to take the lead.

Seconds after the Devils killed off a power play early in the session, Satan slid a pass down low to Vasicek, who beat Weekes to the stick side for his third goal of the season at 3:31.

Satan then skated around Devils defenseman Paul Martin and slid the puck past Weekes at 5:35 to give the Islanders the lead. It was the first goal of the season for Satan, who had 35 in 2006-07.

Comrie scored at 12:03 of the second to give the Islanders a two-goal advantage, putting home the rebound of a shot by defenseman Bruno Gervais that went off the goalpost.

The Devils cut the deficit to 3-2 early in the third, when DiPietro could not pick up a wrist shot by Jay Pandolfo that went over his shoulder at 2:22 of the second.

New Jersey killed off a double minor to Brian Gionta midway through the third and soon tied it at 3-3 when Gionta tipped home a shot by Martin with just over eight minutes remaining in the third.

"We don't want to give away leads in the third period," said DiPietro, who made 25 saves. "It's something we have to work on."

The Devils nearly scored during the wide-open overtime, but blue-liner Karel Rachunek hit the post at 1:42.