It felt good didn’t it? The New York Rangers are still basking in the glow of a big win over the New York Islanders on Monday, a feat they will look to repeat tonight.
With a five-point night from Artemi Panarin powering the New York Rangers to a 6-2 win over the Isles, they will be looking to heap more misery on their rivals at Nassau Coliseum.
It is also the second of three meetings in just over a week between these two teams, and that is sure to add even more heat to proceedings.
Say what you want about the scheduling, and there is a lot to be made about that, but that win over the Islanders at Madison Square Garden provided one of the most memorable moments of the year so far.
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We were treated to yet another masterful display by Panarin who is on pace for a career year, while Long Island native Adam Fox produced a dream moment by scoring in a showdown he would have grown up watching.
It was an emotionally-charged night that breathed fresh life into the Rangers’ playoff hopes, and it seemed to just lift the mood among everyone associated with the team in the midst of all the Trade Deadline talk.
And, let’s be honest, it is always sweet to beat the Islanders, especially at the moment given the fact that they have been the more successful team in the last couple of years in terms of playoff appearances.
However, the New York Islanders are a fine-tuned machine under Barry Trotz and, in the cauldron that is the Coliseum, expect tonight to be a completely different game than Monday’s contest was.
It is a big game for both teams with the Isles trying to keep pace with the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins at the top of the Metro Division, while the Rangers are looking to keep their postseason dreams alive.
Let’s dive right in…