NHL roundup: Rangers pull away from rival Islanders, Hurricanes continue form

Jonny Brodzinski netted the go-ahead goal with less than five minutes left in the second period, propelling the New York Rangers to a 5-2 win over the New York Islanders during Sunday's afternoon matchup.

The Rangers, who had previously won a thrilling 6-5 overtime victory at the Stadium Series in East Rutherford nearly a month ago, found themselves trailing 1-0 in the first period.

However, they managed to turn the game around by scoring the final three goals, securing a victory in the first of three matchups against their opponents in the final month of the regular season.

Mika Zibanejad and Will Cuylle were the goal scorers in New York's impressive three-goal second period, while Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere added to the tally in the third period.

This win marked the Rangers' fifth victory in six games, bringing their record to an impressive 16-3-1 in their last 20 matches.

On the other hand, Bo Horvat netted two goals for the Islanders, but it wasn't enough to prevent their losing streak from extending to four games after a previous six-game winning streak.

In the goaltending department, New York's Igor Shesterkin made 25 saves against his close friend Ilya Sorokin, who allowed five goals on 31 shots.

Jack Eichel netted the game-winning goal in the third period, propelling Vegas to a triumph over struggling New Jersey in Las Vegas. Logan Thompson showcased his skills with 20 saves, securing the victory for the Golden Knights.

Contributing to the win, William Carrier and William Karlsson also found the back of the net, while Noah Hanifin provided two assists. With this win, the Golden Knights have now reached a tie with the Los Angeles Kings for third place in the Pacific Division, both teams accumulating 79 points.

Thompson, who hadn't started a game since his disappointing performance in a loss against Buffalo on March 2, redeemed himself by claiming his first victory since shutting out San Jose 4-0 on February 19.

New Jersey's lone goal came from Nico Hischier, as they suffered their fourth loss in the last five games. Jake Allen, acquired from Montreal at the trade deadline, made 34 saves out of 36 shots.

Dmitry Orlov tallied two goals and two assists as Carolina secured its third consecutive victory by dominating Ottawa on the road.

Jake Guentzel netted his first goal for the Hurricanes, while Evgeny Kuznetsov, Seth Jarvis, Jalen Chatfield, and Brendan Lemieux also found the back of the net, helping Carolina reach the seven-goal mark for the second time in eight days.

Sebastian Aho contributed three assists, with Guentzel extending the lead to 6-2 in the third period. Thomas Chabot and Tim Stutzle scored for the Senators, but their three-game winning streak came to an end. Goalie Anton Forsberg allowed seven goals on 38 shots.

Meanwhile, Sidney Crosby broke his goal drought and added an assist to guide Pittsburgh to a victory over Detroit. Reilly Smith, Valtteri Puustinen, Lars Eller, Michael Bunting, and Drew O'Connor also scored for the Penguins, with goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic making 25 saves against his former team.

Lucas Raymond scored twice and Christian Fischer added a goal for the Red Wings, who have now lost eight of their last nine games. Detroit goalie Alex Lyon made 32 saves in the losing effort.

Robert Thomas found the back of the net twice while Pavel Buchnevich contributed with three assists as St. Louis defeated Anaheim during their visit.

Jake Neighbours and Kevin Hayes also scored for the Blues, extending their winning streak to four games. Justin Faulk provided two assists for St. Louis and Joel Hofer made 26 saves.

Troy Terry scored twice and Lukas Dostal made 23 saves for the Ducks, who suffered their sixth consecutive loss.

Ryan Donato, Kevin Korchinski, and Joey Anderson scored within an 83-second span in the third period to secure a victory for Chicago against San Jose.

Connor Bedard sealed the win with an empty-net goal just 0.3 seconds before the final buzzer. Bedard and Philipp Kurashev each had a goal and an assist, while Tyler Johnson contributed with two assists for the Blackhawks.

Ryan Carpenter and Klim Kostin scored for the Sharks, who lost their fourth game in a row and remained at 39 points, trailing Chicago by four points, the lowest in the NHL.