Islanders 3, Rangers 1
NEW YORK -- Center Brock Nelson and defenseman Nick Leddy scored within the first five minutes of the third period Thursday night as the New York Islanders moved into sole possession of second place in the Metropolitan Division with a 3-1 win over the New York Rangers in front of a sellout crowd at Barclays Center.
The Islanders (24-15-5) won their second in a row and for the sixth time in 10 games (6-4-0). They swept the Rangers at home for the first time since the 1997-98 season.
Goaltender Jaroslav Halak made 34 saves.
Defenseman Marc Staal scored in the final minute of the second period for the Rangers (23-15-5), who have lost two of their last three (1-1-1) and seven of 11 (4-6-1).
Goalie Henrik Lundqvist recorded 29 saves.
Nelson, who recorded the first hat trick in Barclays Center history Tuesday night in the Islanders' 5-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, tied the score at 1:53 following a frantic sequence deep in the Rangers' zone.
Nelson fell down after he and Rangers right winger Kevin Hayes collided while pursuing the puck. Rangers defenseman Keith Yandle headed over and picked up the loose puck, but Nelson got up, intercepted the clearing pass and fired a wrister past Lundqvist.
Leddy gave the Islanders the lead just 2:23 later, Center John Tavares corralled the puck and skated behind the Rangers' net before finding Leddy, whose shot ticked off the right post and into the net.
Right winger Kyle Okposo's empty netter with 1.9 seconds left iced it.
Staal snapped a scoreless tie with 45.4 seconds left in the second. Right winger Kevin Hayes passed to Staal, who was surrounded by three Islanders (Leddy, center Frans Nielsen and left winger Nikolay Kulemin) yet still managed to get a stick on the puck and send it past Halak.
Staal's goal was preceded by 39 minutes of near-constant action. There were 24 shots in the first period alone and highlight-reel worthy saves by both goalies.
Lundqvist stopped a pair of breakaways by Islanders center John Tavares and right winger Cal Clutterbuck in the first 11 minutes of the game. Lundqvist lost his stick on the Tavares save and frantically pivoted from side to side in the crease before the Rangers managed to clear the puck.
Halak stopped a putback attempt by left winger Rick Nash with 11:38 remaining and later turned back two shots by center Derek Stepan, including one that glanced off his glove with 4:35 left.
In the second, a shot by Rangers center Chris Kreider bounced off the left side of the net less than four minutes in. Leddy's slap shot glanced off Lundqvist's stick at the seven-minute mark.
Center Mats Zuccarello had a shot glance off Halak's pads with 11:37 remaining. Halak smothered the puck after Zuccarello's shot bounced off the right post with 2:17 to go.
NOTES: The Islanders scratched D Travis Hamonic, who is expected to be out until the All-Star break with a lower-body injury, as well as RW Steve Bernier and D Scott Mayfield. ... Islanders Hall of Famer Mike Bossy scored his 400th career goal 32 years ago Thursday in a game against the Rangers. He was in attendance Thursday night. ... The Rangers scratched D Dan Girardi (cut right hand) and C Oscar Lindberg. ... Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist made his 10th straight start, his longest streak since head coach Alain Vigneault took over before the 2013-14 season.