The New York Rangers play their first game in 141 days tonight
The New York Rangers are as eager to play hockey as their fans are to watch it. Tonight, they get back into action in what has to be classified as a strange game. It’s an exhibition game and will feature all of the regulars in their only tune-up the team will have before they play for real at noon on Saturday.
Why strange? It will be their first game in a neutral location without fans in the stands. While they would like to win, their chief goal will be to stay healthy. Unlike regular preseason games, no one will be fighting for a job or to move up in the lineup. It’s just a game to get the feeling of competition back.
It’s the exact same scenario for their opponents, the Islanders. Play well, don’t get hurt. It feels like an all-star game with just a little more oomph. Of course, that could all be gone if Brendan Lemieux levels Mathew Barzal with a body check in the first period. There will be body checks, but all odds are that it will be a fairly civil affair.
There were some games played on Tuesday. The Flyers beat the Penguins in overtime , 3-2., Toronto downed Montreal 4-2 and the Oilers beat the Flames 4-1. Was it strange? Ask Oilers goalie Mike Smith. He told the media “To be honest, it felt like the ‘Twilight Zone’ there for a bit. Everyone was kind of skating around, feeling out what it was going to be like with no one in the arena. Definitely one of the oddest games that I’ve ever played in the NHL. That’s what going to make this little tournament so unique, and so difficult to win.”
The game tonight is one of a schedule of six exhibition games.
Exhibition schedule for Stanley Cup Qualifiers https://t.co/AiOWXvKyth via @NHLdotcom
— NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) July 28, 2020
For you trivia fans, the first NHL player to score a goal in the month of July was Conor Sheary of the Penguins. TV viewers were able to hear the Flames’ Zac Rinaldo say “I’ll (bleepin’) hurt you. I will!” to Josh Archibald from the penalty box and observers noted how much chatter they heard from the referees.
Rangers vs. Islanders
The two teams met four times in the regular season, with the Rangers winning three of the the games. In a scheduling oddity, the two teams met three times in nine days in January, just before the All-Star break. The Rangers split the two games at Madison Square and won the one game at the Nassau Coliseum. The final game was the first played after the trade deadline and the Rangers won 4-3 in overtime.
While the Rangers are happy to get Chris Kreider back from his fractured foot, the Islanders have even more players back from injury including Johnny Boychuk, Adam Pelech and Casey Cizikas who were all out when play was halted.
As far as exhibition games go, the Rangers and Islanders have played eight preseason games over the last four years with the Rangers winning three of them. If there is any statistic more meaningless than that one, let me know.