Michal Rozsival scored the winning goal late in the third period after accidentally creating Pittsburgh’s first goal, and the Rangers ran the Penguins’ losing streak to eight games with a 4-2 victory last night.

Rozsival, a former Penguins defenseman who came into the game with 13 points in 46 games, had a goal and an assist as the Rangers won for the first time in three games.

Rozsival’s second goal of the season proved decisive as his slap shot from the right circle off Petr Prucha’s crossice pass eluded goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to break a 2-all tie with 4:12 remaining. Michael Nylander scored his 11th goal exactly a minute later

Rozsival assisted on the first of Prucha’s two goals, each of which gave the Rangers a one-goal lead.

Prucha, a rookie who began the season in the minors and lacked the buildup of Sidney Crosby but has as many goals as the Penguins star, scored his 22nd and 23rd goals and assisted on Rozsival’s winner.

Crosby tied it at 2 with a one-timer off Colby Armstrong’s pass from behind the net that may have deflected off the Rangers’ Jason Strudwick midway through the third period. It was the Penguins’ second power-play goal of the period.

Crosby scored for the second game in a row after being held without a goal in the first six games of the Penguins’ second-longest losing streak of the season. They began the season by losing their first nine, though they got points in five of those games. All eight of these losses have been in regulation.

Prucha made it 1-0 in the first period by grabbing Petr Sykora’s pass to the slot and backhanding a shot off the right arm of Fleury, who swiped at it but couldn’t prevent the puck from trickling across the goal line.

Rookie goalie Henrik Lundqvist made 28 saves during another strong game to improve to 18-6-5.

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In Raleigh, N.C., Kevyn Adams scored the go-ahead goal seconds after he inadvertently caused one to be waved off and Eric Staal added his 30th of the season, helping the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Islanders 4-3 last night for their ninth straight victory.

The winning streak ties the franchise record set earlier this season – the previous best of seven came about 21 years ago when the team was the Hartford Whalers. And Carolina improved the NHL’s best home record to 21-4-1 while running its mark to 18-0 when leading after two periods.

The Hurricanes finished with a 39-25 edge in shots, including 29-12 through the opening two periods. Arron Asham, Radek Martinek, and Mark Parrish had goals as New York was trying to win consecutive road games for the first time since early December.