Blue Line Station
Fansided

New York Rangers go for double delight against the Islanders

By Andrew Steele-Davis

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 13: Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers takes the shot against Semyon Varlamov #40 of the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden on January 13, 2020 in New York City. The Rangers defeated the Islanders 6-2. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 13: Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers takes the shot against Semyon Varlamov #40 of the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden on January 13, 2020 in New York City. The Rangers defeated the Islanders 6-2. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Jordan Eberle #7 of the New York Islanders celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal
Jordan Eberle #7 of the New York Islanders celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal /

About the Islanders

Apart from losing face of the franchise John Tavares to free agency a couple of years ago, this is a pretty good time to be a New York Islanders fan right now.

With Lou Lamoriello at the helm and Stanley Cup winning coach Barry Trotz behind the bench, the Isles are once again near the top of the Metro Division as they look to bring the glory days back to Long Island.

Despite trailing the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Islanders have games in hand and they certainly boast the structure to be a threat in the postseason.

The only flaw on this roster, however, is their lack of a real game-changer in the offensive zone, and it remains to be seen if the Islanders will try to add a scorer at the Trade Deadline.

A lack of scoring was the main factor behind the Isles’ second round sweep at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes last year, and you have to think that Lamoriello will have something up his sleeve.

After all, he was given a stark reminder of what he could have had on Monday when Artemi Panarin ran riot with five points, with the Rangers beating out the Islanders to lure the biggest prize of free agency to The Big Apple back in the off-season.

Just go and look at the stats. Mathew Barzal leads the team in points with 39 (17 goals, 22 assists), while Brock Nelson is second with 35 points (18 goals, 17 assists).

After that, it is very much a case of the Islanders getting it done by committee in the offensive zone, and they rank 21st in Goals For Per Game in the NHL (2.87) as a result.

It is a completely different story in the defensive zone, though, with the Islanders relying on their blueline for success.

They rank fifth in Goals Against Per Game (2.62) and they can rely on a superb goaltending tandem in Thomas Greiss and Semyon Varlamov.

The Islanders are middle of the pack when it comes to special teams, but they can just grind teams down and they will be looking to do that against the Rangers tonight.

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