NEWARK, N.J. _ The players the Islanders need to score more are scoring more.
The chances went back and forth in overtime but it was captain Anders Lee's shot from the slot with 50.7 seconds remaining that finally clinched a 4-3 win for the Islanders over the Devils on Tuesday night at Prudential Center.
It marked the second straight game with a goal for Lee and the Islanders also got one from fellow top-six wing Jordan Eberle, who hadn't scored in his previous 10 games.
The Islanders (27-12-3) swept a back-to-back after topping the Avalanche, 1-0, on Monday night at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum.
Thomas Greiss returned to the net to make 32 saves while Mackenzie Blackwood, who appeared to lose at least one tooth on a high shot from defenseman Ryan Pulock late in the second period, stopped 37 shots for the Devils (15-20-7).
The game's only penalty didn't come until Greiss hooked Nikita Gusev skating behind his crease at 11:36 of the third period. That turned into Kyle Palmieri's power-play goal to give the Devils at 3-2 lead at 11:55 after the Islanders' penalty kill had gone 13-for-13 over the previous six games.
But Tom Kuhnhackl was able to tie the score at 3-3 at 14:14 from the right point after Michael Dal Colle forced a turnover along the right wall.
The Devils beat the Islanders, 2-1, at the Coliseum on Thursday as Semyon Varlamov made 29 saves.
Greiss made his first start in six games since being pulled from a 5-2 loss at Chicago on Dec. 27 after allowing three goals on 11 shots.
He entered Tuesday with an 11-7-0 mark, a 2.58 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage but he had won only one of his last six starts, a 32-save effort in a 3-1 victory at Florida on Dec. 12.
"How curious am I?" Trotz said when asked about seeing how Greiss responds after his longest layoff of the season. "I'm not curious at all. I say I have a one-A and a one-B goalie and I never know which they are. They've both been a big part of where we are. Varly has had a number of games. Greisser is proud. He's a good goaltender. He's going to want to respond. He wants a piece of the net, no question. He's extremely competitive."
Greiss kept the game tied at 2 at 11:16 of the third period, squeezing his pads to stop Blake Coleman rushing to the crease.
Both teams yielded skating space in the first period, which ended with the Islanders up 2-1.
Casey Cizikas, getting to the crease and knocking in the rebound of Matt Martin's initial shot, gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead at 3:38.
But just as he did in the Devils' win on Thursday, P.K. Subban tied the game at 1 with a hard blast from the right at 8:37. This time, though, the Islanders quickly regained the lead as Eberle, with his fourth goal of the season, connected from the slot after defenseman Damon Severson's turnover.
Nico Hischier, who also scored at the Coliseum, tied the game at 2-2 at 18:24 of the second period as he lifted a backhander from the slot after skating around Mathew Barzal.
Lee, at 2:07, and defenseman Nick Leddy, at 16:18, each also hit the post for the Islanders in the first period.
The Islanders got two chances to start the rapid second period _ there was continuous play from 4:20 to 13:14 _ but Blackwood denied both Josh Bailey and defenseman Johnny Boychuk from in close at 1:46. He then denied Cizikas' wraparound in the waning seconds.
