Halak, Islanders top Golden Knights

LAS VEGAS -- Jaroslav Halak made 38 saves, and the New York Islanders ended the Vegas Golden Knights' 12-game home point streak with a 2-1 win at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday.
Ross Johnston and Jordan Eberle scored for New York (25-20-5), which went 2-0-1 on its three-game road trip.

The Islanders head into the All-Star break trailing the Philadelphia Flyers by one point for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
\[WATCH: All Islanders vs. Golden Knights highlights\]
"I think it was a really good road trip for us," Halak said. "We didn't get three wins, but we got five points out of six and we should be happy about it.
"I think right now, we need any points. Tonight wasn't any different. We came out flat in the first period and we needed to play better. In the second period, we did that."
Erik Haula scored and Marc-Andre Fleury made 23 saves for Vegas (32-12-4), which lost at home in regulation for the first time since Nov. 28, a 3-0 defeat against the Dallas Stars. The Golden Knights had gone 10-0-2 since.

"We weren't as crisp as we usually are," Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant said. "We mishandled a lot of pucks, we weren't as sharp as usual. We looked OK at times, and we looked like we had some good pressure. But for the most part, the execution wasn't there tonight like it usually is."
The Golden Knights head into the All-Star break atop the Pacific Division, nine points ahead of the San Jose Sharks. Vegas has 32 wins, one shy of tying the NHL record for most victories by an expansion team held by the 1993-94 Florida Panthers and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
"It's disappointing after tonight," Fleury said. "But if you look at since the beginning of the season, I think we can be proud of our team to be where we're at right now. It's fun to be a part of it."
Halak helped the Islanders survive early with some key saves, including a glove save on a breakaway attempt from Brendan Leipsic.
"They got an ear full between the first and second, but the response was unreal," Islanders coach Doug Weight said. "We frustrated them and hopefully we can look back and say this vaulted us somewhat."

Johnston was credited with his first NHL goal at 10:01 of the second period, when his pass to Cal Clutterbuck deflected off Cody Eakin's stick and got past Fleury to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead.
Eberle made it 2-0 at 8:21 of the third period. Anthony Beauvillier forced a turnover in the Golden Knights zone and passed to Mathew Barzal, who found Eberle in the slot for his third goal in four games.
Haula scored a power-play goal at 14:53 of the third period to make it 2-1.
"I think we've played some better hockey," Weight said. "We did good things today and it's got to be something that'll be fun to watch on the flight home. We were starving for a 2-1 game, we got it against the best team in the League and it's really exciting."

Goal of the game

Eberle's goal at 8:21 of the third period.

Save of the game

Halak's save against Leipsic at 18:43 of the first period.

Highlight of the game

Johnston's first NHL goal at 10:01 of the second period.

They said it

"We had a lot of chances tonight, but I think the best thing about us right now is we're consistent. We're not one game on, one game off. The best lines in the League consistently play well and we need to do that." -- Islanders forward Jordan Eberle
"One loss isn't going to hurt our hockey club. You're not going to win every night; you're going to bounce back and play hard the next game and try to win. One loss isn't going to affect what we're going to do in the second half." -- Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant

Need to know

Barzal extended his point streak to four games (four assists). … Beauvillier has five points (four goals, one assist) in the past three games. … Vegas defenseman Jason Garrison played 18:59 in his first game since being recalled from Chicago of the American Hockey League. … Golden Knights forward William Karlsson's point streak ended at four games.

What's next

Islanders:Host the Florida Panthers on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; MSG+, FS-F, NHL.TV)
Golden Knights:At the Calgary Flames on Tuesday (9 p.m. ET; SNW, ATTSN-RM, NHL.TV)