Knights finding different ways to win during 4-game streak

One of the Golden Knights’ past four wins have been decided by more than one goal.

Even that game needed two power-play goals late to make it look comfortable.

Given how wins were hard to come by the past month, the Knights have found value in different ways to win during a seasonlong four-game winning streak.

They will try to make it five Tuesday against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on Long Island.

The Knights (14-6-8) rallied Sunday to defeat the New York Rangers 3-2 in overtime. Center Tomas Hertl tied the score with 51.3 seconds left in regulation, then center Jack Eichel finished it with eight seconds remaining in overtime.

After losing seven straight games decided in overtime or a shootout, the Knights have won two in a row.

“Maybe the hockey gods are going to smile on us a bit in the OT,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Because it was a tough go there for a while.”

Both wins have come with Carter Hart looking as if he hasn’t missed a beat after not playing for nearly two years.

The goaltender made 21 saves Sunday, including 14 in a second period that saw the Knights get outshot 16-7.

The Knights could have been down worse than the 2-1 score they rallied from if not for Hart standing tall while his teammates struggled.

“The second wasn’t great from us,” Hertl said. “We gave them life. We turned (over) too many pucks. We stopped playing the way we did in the first. (Hart) made a couple big saves, and it was kind of ugly there for us, but we stuck with it.”

Three of the Knights’ wins have come with different goalies. It started with Carl Lindbom getting his first NHL win Nov. 29 against the San Jose Sharks before being sent back to Henderson to make room for Hart.

Hart, in his first start since January 2024, made 27 saves and stopped all but one during a shootout for a 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 2.

Akira Schmid followed with a 24-save shutout against his former team Friday in a 3-0 effort over the New Jersey Devils.

“If you can play 45, 50 good minutes in December, I think you’re going to do very well,” Cassidy said. “That’s hopefully what our goal will be this month.”

The Knights haven’t had their full lineup at times, but they’ve gotten contribution from nearly everyone.

All but six players have scored a point in the past four games. Three of them are defensemen Brayden McNabb, Zach Whitecloud and Kaedan Korczak

The other three — forwards Reilly Smith, Brandon Saad and Alexander Holtz — have come in and out of the lineup.

Smith has played the past two games at fourth-line center with Colton Sissons out with an illness. The Original Misfit, after not playing center once in his Knights tenure before this weekend, has gone 4-for-6 in the faceoff circle.

About the Islanders

The Islanders (16-11-3) have been a tough team to figure out.

They lost four of five heading into the week of Thanksgiving, then followed that with three straight wins — two against the Tampa Bay Lightning and one against the league-leading Colorado Avalanche.

New York lost 4-1 to the Florida Panthers on Sunday.

No. 1 overall pick defenseman Matthew Schaefer continues to impress with 21 points in 30 games. The 18-year-old is tied for second among rookies with eight goals.

Scoring has been an issue for the Islanders with 16 goals in their past eight games. They scored six Thursday in the 6-3 home win over Colorado.

The Islanders handed the Knights one of their eight overtime/shootout losses Nov. 13 in a 4-3 decision at T-Mobile Arena. New York center J.G. Pageau scored a short-handed goal with 1:58 left.

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.