NEW YORK _ The record book just opened for these Islanders.
The Islanders extended their point streak to a franchise-record 16 games as they shook off another sluggish start, twice came back from one-goal deficits, blew a late lead but beat the Penguins, 4-3, in overtime on Thursday night at Barclays Center. It pushed their streak to 15-0-1, besting the three 15-game point streaks in Islanders' history, most recently a 15-0-0 run from Jan. 21 to Feb. 20, 1982.
They still have not lost in regulation since a 5-2 defeat at Carolina on Oct. 11.
Brock Nelson, playing in his 500th NHL game, scored his second goal as he dragged the puck to his backhand for the winner with 43.5 seconds left in overtime. He also scored the overtime winner in Tuesday night's 5-4 victory in Pittsburgh.
The Islanders (16-3-1) were 29.9 seconds away from a win in regulation but Bryan Rust, with his fifth goal in three games against the Islanders this season, tied it at 3 at the crease with goalie Matt Murray off for an extra skater.
The teams were on a four-on-four because the Islanders' Anders Lee and Zach Aston-Reese received only roughing minors, not fighting majors at 17:42 despite punches being thrown.
Nelson scored on the power play at 15:08 of the third period off an offensive-zone faceoff to give the Islanders a 3-2 lead.
The Islanders, who have the fewest man-advantage chances in the NHL, were 2 for 7 on the power play. That was the most power plays they have gotten since Barry Trotz became coach.
Thomas Greiss made 23 saves as he won his eighth straight start. Murray stopped 20 shots for the Penguins (11-7-4) after making 37 saves on Tuesday as the Islanders twice came back from two-goal deficits in that game, including with 4:19 left in regulation.
The Islanders erased a second, one-goal deficit on Anthony Beauvillier's power-play goal at 11:38 of the second period, giving him six goals in a four-game goal streak. Jake Guentzel was in the penalty box after roughing defenseman Scott Mayfield at 8:35, then saying something that earned him an additional two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The Islanders anticipated the Penguins would start strongly and still be ticked off about Tuesday's loss. But they couldn't have expected the early part of the game to go as poorly as it did.
Evgeni Malkin gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead at 1:04 off the Islanders' sloppy puck management in the defensive zone. Patric Hornqvist, off injured reserve and in the Penguins' lineup for the first time since Nov. 3, drove Devon Toews feet first into the backboards at 1:19 and the shaken Islanders defenseman missed nearly six minutes of game action. Defenseman Adam Pelech then high-sticked Guentzel at 1:30.
The Islanders didn't get their first shot until Nelson got a power-play chance at 10:03.
Defenseman Scott Mayfield took the Islanders' first even-strength shot at 10:55 and he tied the game at 1 at 15:12 with the team's third shot, a right-point blast after Mathew Barzal beat Malkin cleanly on an offensive-zone faceoff in the right circle.
But Rust, who scored twice in the Penguins' come-from-behind, 4-3 overtime win in Brooklyn on Nov. 7 and once on Tuesday night, regained a 2-1 lead for Pittsburgh at 1:09 of the second period as he took the puck in the neutral zone and went in for an unassisted goal after Jordan Eberle's pass across the offensive zone got past defenseman Ryan Pulock at the blue line.
The Islanders didn't get their first shot in the second period until Michael Dal Colle got one on net at 8:02.
