Islanders top Penguins in OT, set their record with 16-game point streak

NEW YORK -- The New York Islanders set a team record when they extended their point streak to 16 games, and Brock Nelson scored in overtime for the second straight game in a 4-3 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Barclays Center on Thursday.

Nelson, playing his 500th NHL game, won it with a backhand shot with 44 seconds left in the extra period.
Anthony Beauvillier scored for a fourth straight game for New York (16-3-1), which has won five in a row and is 15-0-1 during the streak. Thomas Greiss made 23 saves; he has won each of his past eight starts.
WATCH: [All Penguins vs. Islanders highlights]
New York has had three 15-game point streaks since entering the NHL in 1972; the most recent was a 15-0-0 stretch from Jan. 21-Feb. 20, 1982.
"It's special," said Nelson, who also scored in overtime for a 5-4 win at Pittsburgh on Tuesday. "It's something that we haven't really thought about much. It's day by day kind of right now for us. Looking back, we'll remember it forever. I think it just means we have a special group of guys in here that believe in each other, go out there and work every day.
"It's not always pretty, but right now we just have a lot of belief and confidence in our group and we're finding ways to win."

Patric Hornqvist, who returned after missing seven games with a lower-body injury, tied it 3-3 with 30 seconds remaining. Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust also scored for Pittsburgh (11-7-4). Matt Murray made 20 saves.
Pittsburgh was without Sidney Crosby (core muscle surgery), Nick Bjugstad (core muscle surgery), Kris Letang (lower body) and Justin Schultz (lower body).
"It was a collective effort," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "It was team play on both sides of the puck, and that how we have to play, especially given the circumstance we're in right now."
Nelson extended his point streak to five games when he scored off an offensive zone face-off with a wrist shot from the left circle to give New York a 3-2 lead. The Islanders were 2-for-7 on the power play.

Pittsburgh entered having killed 23 consecutive power plays over its previous 10 games.
"We had done some good things; Pittsburgh has been hot on the kill," Nelson said. "They pressured hard in Pittsburgh and we really didn't have much, but tonight was a good job. We tried to keep it simple, we had plenty of opportunities, which was new for us. We were able to get a few, which was nice."
Hornqvist tied it 3-3 when he poked a loose puck near the crease past Greiss. The call on the ice was upheld after a video review for offside initiated by the Situation Room.

Malkin gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead 1:04 into the game when Jake Guentzel sent a pass near the right post into the slot, where Malkin scored his fourth of the season.
"Our starts have to be better," Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. "We've had to dig ourselves out of a few holes, especially the last three games. Just stay with it; I thought a couple of guys who were having a little bit of tough nights, they stay with it and get rewarded."
Scott Mayfield tied it at 15:12 of the first. Mathew Barzal won a face-off in the offensive zone back to Mayfield, whose shot from the right point deflected off Zach Aston-Reese's stick and past Murray to make it 1-1.
Rust scored 1:09 into the second period with a wrist shot from the left circle on a 2-on-1 to give the Penguins a 2-1 lead.
Beauvillier scored for a fourth straight game to tie it 2-2 at 11:38 of the second. The Islanders were given a four-minute power play after Guentzel was hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct on top of his roughing penalty, and Beauvillier capitalized when Derick Brassard's slap shot from the right circle hit Jack Johnson in front and went to Beauvillier in the left circle, where he quickly shot it past Murray.
"I just lost my cool," Guentzel said. "I've got to be smarter."
It was Beauvillier's sixth goal during his streak.
"I think we have a team that has really cold blood," Beauvillier said. "We stick with it, even though they tied the game late. I think we kind of focus on the process. In overtime, we just want to get it done and get the two points. That's what we did again tonight."

They said it

"Every point's a good point. They're a good team. I liked a lot of our game, and we've just got to take the point and we've got to move on." -- Penguins coach Mike Sullivan
"We never get content. We're happy with it, especially setting the record, but you're not content with it. There's stuff we've got to work on … our starts, last 30 seconds there with that goal, but you just keep playing." -- Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield

Need to know

Sullivan announced before the game that Bjugstad had core muscle surgery and is expected to miss at least eight weeks, and Schultz is out "longer term" with a lower-body injury. … Rust has four goals in three games against the Islanders this season. … New York forward Matt Martin (lower body) was activated off injured reserve after missing nine games.

What's next

Penguins:Host the New Jersey Devils on Friday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVAS, ATTSN-PT, MSG+, NHL.TV)
Islanders: At the San Jose Sharks on Saturday (10:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, MSG+, NHL.TV)