The Rangers are tied for first in the division with the Carolina Hurricanes, who defeated the Winnipeg Jets 4-2 on Thursday. The Rangers and Hurricanes will finish as the top two teams in the division and will have home-ice advantage in the Eastern Conference First Round.
"We've done a good job securing home ice," Fox said. "I mean, you're going to play a good team either way. Like we've preached for a while now, just playing the right way these past few games and not letting it slip. You want to be rolling going into playoffs and that's where our mindset is at."
Brock Nelson scored twice and Semyon Varlamov made 17 saves for the Islanders (35-32-10), who lost their third straight game.
Zach Parise and Mathew Barzal were each minus-3.
"Some guys cheated the game, plain and simple," Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. "We had one line that got torn apart. I thought they cheated the game. It is a game of mistakes, but if you make a mistake you have to have the urgency and desire to clean up your own mistakes. If you're going to create some garbage on the ice then you better clean it up, and we didn't do a good job."
Panarin's four assists give him 96 points (22 goals, 74 assists), a NHL career high.
His 74 assists are the most by a Rangers forward in team history, topping the record of 72 previously held by Wayne Gretzky (1996-97) and Mark Messier (1991-92). He needs six to tie Brian Leetch's record for most assists by a player in a single season. Leetch had 80 in 1991-92.
Fox is up to 72 points (11 goals, 61 assists), giving the Rangers four players with 70 or more points for the fourth time in their history and first since 1993-94. Panarin (96), center Mika Zibanejad (79) and Kreider (74) also have 70 or more points.
Ryan Strome scored his 20th goal, a career high for the center.
"I just think we've really done a good job of putting those things aside," Strome said. "There's been no selfish play at all. When you do all the right things it comes out in the wash and you see guys get rewarded on a personal level. It's just a testament to our team."
Copp gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead at 3:43, scoring with a one-timer from the right circle off a backhanded pass from Panarin out of the left circle.
Panarin set up Copp from the left circle to make it 2-0 at 7:48. He moved the puck diagonally down to Copp below the right circle. Copp beat Varlamov to the far-side.
"You give these guys space, you give them opportunities, they're going to put the puck in the net," Islanders forward Anders Lee said. "They had a few too many of those to start the game."
Copp completed the hat trick to make it 3-0 at 18:13, when he scored on a give-and-go with Strome that started with Panarin holding the puck in at the blue line.
"We talk about all the time getting the net drive going, people going to the net, and when he does that like he did tonight he gets an opportunity to get some great passes from great players," Gallant said of Copp. "Sometimes we get too cute and we get fancy and we try those plays up high, but when we get people going to the net things open up. That's what he does real well."
Nelson scored 37 seconds into the second period to make it 3-1, ending the Rangers' shutout streak at 200:43. They went 10 straight periods without allowing a goal, including three straight shutouts.
Kreider's power-play goal gave the Rangers a 4-1 lead at 17:15 of the second. Strome made it 5-1 at 19:07.
