Isles drop third straight home game in loss to Senators

UNIONDALE -- Matt Puempel and Kyle Turris scored second-period goals, and backup Andrew Hammond made 34 saves as the Ottawa Senators beat the New York Islanders 2-1 on Friday night.

Ottawa improved to 9-1-1 in its last 11 games to remain within striking distance of Boston for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Senators trail the Bruins by five points with both teams having 15 games remaining.

The Islanders lost their third straight at home, including Tuesday's 2-1 defeat to the New York Rangers, and a 5-3 setback against Carolina on Feb. 28. They are 23-11 at Nassau Coliseum this season. New York will host Montreal on Saturday to complete a back-to-back.

Tyler Kennedy cut the Islanders' deficit to 2-1 with 8:01 to go. Jaroslav Halak stopped 26 shots.