Islanders beat the New York Rangers 4-2 in the final preseason audition

What we learned from the game

Jesper Fast, Vlad Namestnikov and Tony DeAngelo were three players who are assured of a role in the opening night lineup and they did nothing to change that status.  Of course, Fast found himself playing on the power play, a role he won’t get anywhere near in the regular season.

Of course, Alexandar Georgiev is going to be with the team next Thursday and had a series of spectacular saves in the first period.

Speaking of Tony DeAngelo, he had another excellent game.  He scored a goal in the second period,  continued to display his gifted passing ability and he did nothing to embarrass himself on defense.  He took a big hit from

Matt Martin

while scoring his second period goal.

Namestnikov had a typical Namestnikov game, though he broke through and actually scored a goal.  It looks to be another hardworking season for the Russian, though with more gifted linemates, he may find the back of the net more often.

Brendan Lemieux was a pain for the Islanders all night. He fulfilled his role as an “agitator” (as opposed to “enforcer’) the whole game and by the final buzzer had the Islanders taking turns trying to run him.

Ryan Lindgren probably deserves to make the team as the seventh defenseman.  He played another hardworking, physical game and didn’t back down when

Casey Cizikas

ran him at the end of the second  period.

He was blocking shots and hitting anybody in sight.

Lias Andersson may have earned a job with his work in the last two games.  He got the primary assist on the Namestnikov goal, threw the body all night and was killing penalties.  Andersson may have finally found his role with this team and if he excels at it, he will be an excellent, long term asset.

Same goes for Brendan Smith.  Don’t be surprised if Smith makes the final squad as an extra forward/defenseman.  Don’t forget that he was a penalty drawing machine last season, drawing 18 penalties.  Same for tonight.   Smith started on the wing and had a great game. It’s clear that David Quinn likes his style of play and tonight’s game probably won Smith a job

Of the cusp players, Brendan Lemieux, Adam Fox, Libor Hajek and Brett Howden solidified their roles.

When it comes to Boo Nieves and Greg McKegg, the number may just not be in their favor, but they both have a shot to make the final roster as a depth forward.  McKegg has another solid game and probably deserves to stick and Nieves didn’t do anything to harm his chances.

On defense, it doesn’t look like Joe Morrow has earned an NHL contract, but he may find a job with Hartford.  Tarmo Reunanen will be either returning to Finland or will end up in Hartford.

That brings us to Vitali Kravtsov and Filip Chytil, the engimatic young future of the Rangers. Both players didn’t particularly stand out, but Chytil improved steadily after a very tough and nervous start.  The game ended with Kravtsov on the bench with a shoulder injury after an awkward collision.  Let’s hope he is okay.  One or both of these players could find themselves getting their feet wet in Hartford to start the season.

Kravtsov was injured in a nasty collision at the last minute of the game involving Cizikas, Kravtsov and Adam Fox.  Fox seemed okay, but both Cizikas and Kravtsov needed tending as the game ended.

The Rangers will probably be making their final cuts on Monday.  They sent Steven Fogarty to the AHL on Friday, reducing the roster to 31.  Here’s a guess at what the 23-man opening night roster will look like:

Centers (5):  Lias Andersson, Brett Howden, Greg McKegg, Ryan Strome, Mika Zibanejad
Left Wings (4):  Chris Kreider, Brendan Lemieux, Vlad Namestnikov, Artemi Panarin,
Right Wings (4):  Jesper Fast, Kaapo Kakko, Pavel Buchnevich, Filip Chytil or Vitali Kravtsov

Right Defense (4):  Tony DeAngelo, Adam Fox, Jacob Trouba, Brendan Smith
Left Defense (4):  Libor Hajek, Brady Skjei, Marc Staal, Ryan Lindgren

Goalies (2): Alexandar Georgiev, Henrik Lundqvist,

That leaves Micheal Haley, Vinni Lettieri, Joe Morrow, Boo Nieves, Tarmo Reunanen, Yegor Rykov, Igor Shesterkin and either Filip Chytil or Vitali Kravtsov on the outs.

We shall see if this is where we end up. Stay tuned.