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OTTAWA - Maybe Jaroslav Halak just needed to feel wanted.First the goaltender was second fiddle to Carey Price in Montreal then got pushed out in St. Louis for Ryan Miller. Nothing more than a rental in Washington, Halak last June heard from a team that wanted to turn the reins over to him and invest in him for the long term.Now the New York Islanders are atop the Metropolitan Division, riding the wave of Halaks all-star-calibre play during his franchise record 11-game winning streak.This team showed interest in me and interest in signing me, Halak said. Interest was on both sides, and Im glad it worked out well.It has worked out for the first-place Islanders because general manager Garth Snow was willing to trade a fourth-round pick for Halaks rights two weeks after the regular season ended and even more willing to give him a long-term contract. Halak did his homework on the Islanders, talking to current and former players, and ultimately signed a US$18-million, four-year deal.The season is only 26 games old, but so far that looks like a bargain. At 14-4-0 with a 2.05 goals-against average and .926 save percentage, the former Canadien has stabilized the goaltending position that has gone through so much recent change and fits of inconsistency.Since Ive been here, weve gone through a lot of goalies, and theyve been quality goaltenders, coach Jack Capuano said. But to know that we have a couple guys now back there and hopefully we can stay healthy, its been a big plus for our hockey club.Capuano is referencing backup Chad Johnson, too, but the onus really has been on Halak to shoulder the load for New York. The way the schedule sets up — the Islanders only have one back-to-back for the next month — the fifth-year head coach cant help but want to keep putting Halak on the ice.On Thursday night, the 29-year-old Slovak beat the Ottawa Senators to break Billy Smiths franchise record of consecutive victories with his 11th.Its great to see him break the record and he deserves it, Capuano said. Hes working real hard and hes enjoying himself between the pipes right now.Halak has an intense demeanour on the ice, something captain John Tavares notices when Cal Clutterbuck shoots high on him early in practice. Halak doesnt take too kindly to that.I think you can just tell by his facial expressions, Tavares said.Maybe Halak doesnt smile too much, but hes loving life with the Islanders, who are a world away from where they were a year ago. Back then they were losers of 10 in a row during a season in which they didnt get great goaltending from Evgeni Nabokov, Anders Nilsson or Kevin Poulin.These Islanders underwent significant off-season changes. Snow signed former Maple Leafs forwards Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin, then a few days before opening night traded for defencemen Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy.Quite simply, this is a better team all over the ice.We just play a good poised game, and we have a lot of depth, so were able to come at teams with every line and all our D, Tavares said. We just want to put teams on their heels. We want to play with the puck, obviously. I think the more energy youve got to spend to try to get it back, I think it makes it tough for the other team to generate offence, generate opportunities.Tavares pointed out theres no panic in Halaks game and likewise no panic on the bench or in the locker-room in difficult situations, unlike last season. Theres little doubt the Islanders feed off their No. 1 goaltender.Everyone sort of plays like Jaro a bit, defenceman Thomas Hickey said. Hes quiet in the net and I think it rubs off on us. ... When any goalie’s playing on their game it makes it really easy on the team.Things havent exactly been easy lately, even as the Islanders have been on a roll. Just four of their past nine victories have come in regulation.That speaks to some strong play in close games but also to New Yorks slim margin for error. Halak plays a part in that because hes not prone to giving up soft goals.He makes every save he should, Hickey said. You dont see him making the 10-bell save because hes always in position, he doesnt need to.During this winning streak, which will be on the line Saturday against the St. Louis Blues, Halak has stopped 275 of the 289 shots he has faced (.952 save percentage) and put up a 1.24 GAA.Capuano said Halak was dialed in. Some athletes feel momentum building, but not this one.I dont think about it, Halak said. I go game-by-game. Im always trying to focus on the game thats ahead of me. Whatever happened in the past, happened in the past. Thats great. But back to work tomorrow.Halaks work never stops. Earlier in the season Capuano and goaltending coach Mike Dunham talked to Halak about managing his emotions, and he has done that.I just thought mentally he was a little frustrated, and right now hes in a good place, Capuano said. Hes got high expectations of himself, which is good. Thats what you want.Its no different than a quarterback or different than a starting pitcher. Youre the last line of defence back there. I like the fact that he puts that pressure on himself, but how he channelled in a different way.Halak isnt out of control. In fact, Tavares called him pretty calm.The Islanders have followed that lead.The consistency he brings in his game and the calmness he brings, of course we feed off that, Tavares said. He does such a good job of not giving up second, third chances and swallowing pucks and pushing them off to the side. Both the skaters and the goalie feed off one another, and hes been great for us.---Follow @SWhyno on Twitter Greg Lloyd Jersey . It looked like being another miserable day for Moyes when Ashley Westwood put Villa in front from a 13th-minute free kick. But Rooney headed United level seven minutes later, and the striker netted his 16th of the season for the struggling champions from the penalty spot before halftime. Benny Snell Jr. Jersey . Vonn had another scary moment at Saturdays World Cup downhill in Val dIsere, ending up clutching her knee in pain after losing her balance and missing a gate. 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The first NBA game in South America now will be missing its biggest star. CORDOBA, Argentina -- Scotland defeated Argentina 21-19 with a late penalty on Friday to win three successive rugby tests for the first time in two years. Just as in June 2012, the Scots have won all three on the road. Following wins over the United States and Canada, Scotland produced the winning points late for the second straight match, with flyhalf Duncan Weir kicking a penalty from 40 metres in the 79th minute. Scotland trailed by one at halftime and 19-10 with 10 minutes to go, and looked like wasting a considerable advantage in possession and in the set-pieces against the feisty second-string Pumas who ran Six Nations champion Ireland close, twice. The Scots forsook makeable penalty shots for attacking lineouts around the hour mark, and blew both. So when their scrum destroyed Argentinas, Grant Gilchrist, their youngest captain in 18 years, directed Weir to kick the penalty. He nailed the attempt from 45 metres to close the gap to six and renew Scotlands hopes. Moments later, they attacked from deep and channeled the ball down the left wing of Tommy Seymour, their best attacking player. Seymour broke and sent in replacement scrumhalf Henry Pyrgos. Weir couldnt convert from thee touchline but the gap was one with seven minutes left.dddddddddddd Argentina conceded the decisive penalty by joining a Scottish rolling maul from the side. But the Pumas still gave themselves a chance to steal the win after the hooter, setting up flyhalf Nicolas Sanchez for a dropped goal from 35 metres. But Sanchez, who left the game temporarily for suspected concussion, shot wide left. Scotland, which brought in 13 reinforcements this week for the second half of its world tour, started full of vim. Nick de Luca and Seymour set up fullback Stuart Hogg for the opening try, then Seymour almost scored but was beaten by the bounce. The Pumas used that ball to attack from their 22, and eventually flanker Javier Ortega Desio crossed. Sanchez kicked a dropped goal and two penalties to put the Pumas 14-10 up, then replacement wing Joaquin Tuculet, on the field for just a minute, sped around Scotland flanker Blair Cowan and Hogg to score a great individual try. The Scots ultimately prevailed for the fourth time on Pumas soil, against only one win over the Pumas at home. Their magic touch will be tested in the tour finale next week in Port Elizabeth, against the Springboks. 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