That's the type of team-carrying performance the Islanders have come to expect from the No. 1 pick in the 2009 draft, but coach Jack Capuano knows his top-heavy team isn't likely to bridge its gap in the playoff chase without offensive contributions from other sources.

"Now, during this stretch, we have to find a way for other guys to score some goals, put points on the board," Capuano said. "We have to get some secondary scoring."

The Isles' 2-1 overtime win Friday in Ottawa represented a step in that direction, with Tavares held off the scoresheet for only the second time in his last 16 games.

Of course, the Isles haven't played nearly as well within their own conference—the East—or in the loaded Atlantic Division. And they arrived in the New Year well out of a playoff spot before returning to action Tuesday in Carolina.

"Consistency has been our problem all year," Frans Nielsen said before Saturday's 4-1 win over Edmonton. "We know what we have to do, but for some reason there are some games where we don't bring it. ... When we turn pucks over, we make more mental mistakes, make bad decisions. It's not that we don't compete hard.