Because just when you thought the Islanders were turning the ship around, with points in six straight and wins in three of four and a two-goal lead entering the third period against the Devils, they slipped straight back into the third-period habits that dogged them for the first two weeks of November.
That is to say, the sort of habits that allow an opposing team to take a 4-2 deficit and turn it into a 5-4 win over the span of 20 minutes, leaving the Islanders on a flight to Raleigh with a whole lot to think about.
But Mathew Barzal and Simon Holmstrom took penalties of their own to turn a five-on-four into a four-on-three the other way - and from there, Nico Hischier quickly poked in a rebound to tie the game at the 11:10 mark.
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