Thursday's NHL roundup

The New York Islanders invariably raise their game against the Rangers. This time they kept that trend — and a winning streak — against their crosstown rivals going with a shutout.

Jaroslav Halak had a season-high 50 saves for his first shutout of the season in a 3-0 victory over the Rangers on Thursday night.

Halak was masterful as the Islanders beat the Rangers for the third time in three meetings this season, and 10th of the past 11. Josh Bailey, Jordan Eberle and Thomas Hickey each scored and rookie sensation Mathew Barzal had three assists to help the Islanders move into a tie with Columbus one point behind Carolina for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.

"This felt like a playoff atmosphere. It was intense," the 20-year-old Barzal said. "And Jaro has been our backbone. He made a lot of key saves. That was a must-win for us."

Halak, who faced 51 shots in a 4-1 home loss to Columbus on Tuesday night, had 15 saves in the first period, 14 in the second and another 21 in the third for his 42nd career shutout.

Halak's effort was the most saves for any goaltender this season in a shutout and one shy of the franchise record set by Glenn Healy on Jan. 16, 1990, against Vancouver.

Halak said weariness is not a factor despite the barrage of shots he has faced in recent games.

Henrik Lundqvist finished with 32 saves for the Rangers, who have lost six of eight overall and dropped to 0-4-1 in five visits to Barclays Center since the Islanders moved to the Brooklyn arena in 2015.

The Rangers are 3-9-0 in their past 12 games as expectations grow they will make significant moves by the Feb. 26 trade deadline.

Barzal has nine assists in his past four games and 25 points in last 17 games. He has 16 goals and 46 assists for 62 points, most among rookies this season. He became the third Islanders rookie to reach 60 points, joining Bryan Trottier (95 in 1976-77) and Mike Bossy (91 in 1977-78).

"Mathew is a great talent. He made some really great plays and certainly contributed to the win," coach Doug Weight said.

Barzal has three goals and six assists in the three games against the Rangers.

Pittsburgh 3, Los Angeles 1: The Penguins won their 10th straight at home. Dion Phaneuf scored a power-play goal in his Kings debut.

Anaheim 3, Chicago 2: The Blackhawks' eight-game losing streak is their longest since dropping nine in a row in early 2012. They lost their seventh straight at home.