Islanders top Senators in OT

Uniondale, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - New month, same New York Islanders.

Thomas Hickey scored off an opponent's skate 3:06 into overtime on Tuesday to lift the red-hot Islanders to a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators in the first game of a home-and-home.

Hickey's wrap-around on the left side crossed the crease and deflected off Ottawa defenseman Cody Ceci's left skate before going in.

The goal gave the Islanders a win in their first game this month after they went 11-3 in November.

They improved to 8-0 in overtime and shootout games this season and pushed their home winning streak to seven games. New York also kept pace with the Penguins for a tie atop the Metropolitan Divisions after Pittsburgh beat the Devils at home, 1-0.

Jaroslav Halak made 16 saves and extended his personal winning streak to 10 games to tie the franchise record set by Billy Smith in the 1981-82 season.

Brock Nelson and Ryan Strome also scored in the win.

"I thought we played great," said Islanders coach Jack Capuano. "That's a good hockey team. Their top six is as good as anyone's."

Mike Hoffman and Clarke MacArthur scored for the Senators, who fell to 1-4-1 in their last six games. Craig Anderson gave up three goals on 28 shots.

Ottawa went 1-3-1 on a five-game road trip, so Senators coach Paul MacLean was happy with the point.

"I think it's a huge point for us to pick up on the road," he said. "Any time you pick up a point on the road it's a big thing. We end this road trip getting something out of it."

Strome gave New York a 2-1 lead 1:07 into the third period just as an Ottawa penalty from the second period was expiring and the Islanders were set to be shorthanded for 31 seconds.

Defenseman Thomas Hickey jammed the puck through Anderson from beside the net and Strome was there on the low left side to hammer it in as it slid across the goal line.

But the Senators tied the score at 11:14 when Mark Stone wrestled control of the puck away from the Islanders behind the net and sent a pass in front to MacArthur for a one-timer.

Earlier, Hoffman gave Ottawa a 1-0 lead midway through the first period on a slap shot from the slot that beat an unscreened Halak on his glove side.

Nelson tied the score for the Islanders with 1:34 left in the second period when he got a pass ahead of the defense after a neutral zone turnover by the Senators and buried a shot into the top of the net.

Islanders center Casey Cizikas came within a fraction of a second of giving his team the lead but a replay showed his shot at the end of the period didn't cross the line in time.

Game Notes

Halak has given up just 13 goals during his streak, last losing on Nov. 1 in San Jose ... Smith went 10-0 for New York from Jan. 23-Feb. 25, 1982 ... The teams will play in Ottawa on Thursday.