Preview: Rangers & Islanders battle for a playoff spot
The New York Rangers and the New York Islanders boast the same record, 4-4-2,but the Islanders are trending downward while the Rangers are moving up. The Isles have lost five of their last six games while the Blueshirts have won three of four. If the Rangers have any playoff hopes, this is the kind of game that they have to win.
The reason is simple, when it comes to the playoffs, it looks like the Boston Bruins, Philadelpha Flyers and the Washington Capitals have the inside track on the top three spots. That leaves one spot for the remaining five teams. Right now, the Rangers have 10 points along with the Islanders, Devils and Sabres and they are only one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins who are in fourth place.
The Rangers have been playing better lately and they totally dominated their last meeting with the Isles. With improved play in all three zones and coming off a solid win against the Capitals, the Rangers have a chance to get over .500 and leapfrog over the Penguins into a playoff spot if they win.
In this crazy season, jiust ten days ago, if anyone had said that the Rangers would be in this situation, they might have been laughed out of the room.
About the Rangers
The key question going into tonight’s game is who will be the starter in goal. David Quinn has made his mind up, but wouldn’t reveal the choice. It’s not an easy call, Alexandar Georgiev has a lifetime record of 6-2-0 against the Islanders. His save percentage is a sparkling .942 and his goals against average is 1.80. He got his only win and the Rangers only shutout of the season over the Islanders.
Igor Shesterkin is coming off his best game of the year against Washington and he has three wins on the season If Quinn is looking to build on a hot hand and start a streak, he will go with Shesterkin, but the fact that Georgiev hasn’t played in a week has to be a consideration if he wants to keep both goalies sharp. We’ll know when warm ups start.
The Rangers do play every other day in the near future, so there will be plenty of work for all.
As for the rest of the lineup, look for the coach to go with the same lines and defense combinations he used against Washington. That means Kaapo Kakko on the right side of Ryan Strome and Artemi Panarin and a second straight game for the duo of Libor Hajek and Tony Bitetto.
The Rangers have been successful because they have cut way down on shots against and have also improved their penalty kill. They’ve done it despite minimal scoring from Mika ZIbanejad, who has been getting chances, a power play that is struggling to score and an absolutely abysmal faceoff performance.
About the Islanders
The Islanders posted a comeback win against the Penguins on Saturday, a victory they really needed. They had lost five in a row, and had to endure a lengthy break when two games against the Sabres last week were postponed due to COVID.
One of the facts about the Islanders is that they kept the same personnel as the team that made it to the Eastern Conference Final. Their biggest issue was a lack of offense and that is what happening this season. The Islanders have scored 2.3 goals per game, fourth fewest in the league and worst in the East Division. Their only saving grace is that they are allowing only 2.7 goals per game, same as the Rangers.
They’ve been hurt offensively by the loss of Anthony Beauvillier to a lower body injury. Not only does he torment the Rangers, but he was fourth on the team last year with 18 goals. He has resumed skating, but Barry Trotz indicated that he won’t be back for this game. Other than Beauvillier, the Islanders are mostly healthy.
After practice today, Rangers coach David Quinn said that he would like the Rangers to play more like the Islanders. “They’re a deep team, they’re structured, they’re well coached. They play hard and they make it difficult for your. They don’t give you anything…Quite honestly, we’re trying to implement some of the characteristics that they have.” He elaborated saying, “They’re tough, they’re strong. They get to nets and they keep it simple.”
This year
The Rangers and the Islanders haven’t played since the first two games of the season, two games that were the direct opposites of each other.
January 14 – Islanders 4, Rangers 0
The Rangers laid an egg in the season opener at Madison Square Garden. They came out flat, Jack Johnson took a penalty in the second minute of the game and Brock Nelson cashed in on the power play. It was a lousy effort and no one played well, including netminder Igor Shesterkin.
January 16 – Rangers 5, Islanders 0
After a tongue lashing from David Quinn, he shook up the forward lines and switched goalies. It worked as the Rangers played a perfect game on home ice and shut out the Islanders. As dominated as they were in the opener, they dominated the second game. It was a superior effort with Artemi Panarin and Pavel Buchnevich each scoring twice and Kaapo Kakko adding a goal.
Stuff you should know
Artemi Panarin is off to another fabulous start with 15 points in 10 games. He has a four game point scoring streak and has three goals and six assists in those four games. Last season, after 10 games he had 10 points.
Kevin Rooney has scored a point in three straight games for the second time in his NHL career.
After finishing with a plus/minus of -26 last season, Kaapo Kakko is a +2 and for the first time, had to plus games in a row.
Jacob Trouba blocked nine shots against the Capitals last week. That was one off the franchise record of 10 set by Dan Girardi in 2015. Girardi blocked nine shots in a game in 2011 making Trouba the only other Ranger to reach that number. Note that the NHL has only kept blocked shot statistics since 2005-06.
Special teams stats are the reverse of what you would expect from the two teams. The Islanders power play is 18th in the NHL at 18% while the Rangers are 22nd at 14.6%. The Isles penalty kill is 21st in the league at 77.8% while the Blueshirts are 10th in the league at 81.6%.
The Islanders are killers on faceoffs with a 55.1% winning percentage, third best in the NHL. The Rangers are second to last at 41.8%.
Does home ice matter with no fans? It does to the Islanders who are 3-0 at the Nassau Coliseum and only 1-4-2 on the road.
The Rangers are 3-2-1 at Madison Square Garden and are 1-2-1 on the road.
The Rangers in the midst of a eight game home stand, the longest of the season. After it is over they will play 16 of the remaining games at the Garden and 24 on the road.
3 keys to winning
- Get the power play going. The Islanders’ penalty kill has been mediocre this season. If Mika Zibanejad and the first power play unit can get their act together, it could be the difference.
- Get on the scoreboard first. In the season opener Brock Nelson scored in the first two minutes and the Isles never look back. In all four of their wins, the Islanders have scored the first goal. They’ve lost all five games when they have allowed the first goal.
- Stop Mathew Barzal, Anders Lee and Josh Bailey. On an offensively challenged team, that line has scored nine of the team’s 23 goals. Barzal in particular has been a Ranger killer with five goals and 19 points in 14 games against the Blueshirts.
East Division
Sunday results
Flyers 7 Capitals 4
Standings
1. Boston 11 GP 8-1-2 18 points
2. Philadelphia 13 GP 8-3-2 18 points
3. Washington 12 GP 6-3-3 15 points
4. Pittsburgh 11 GP 5-5-1 11 points
5. New Jersey 9 GP 4-3-2 10 points
6. Rangers 10 GP 4-4-2 10 points
—Islanders 10 GP 4-4-2 10 points
—Buffalo 10 GP 4-4-2 10 points
About the game
Puck drop is 7pm and the game will televised on the MSG Network and NBCSN. The radiocast will be on ESPN 98.7FM.
Remember that Blue Line Station’s live conversation will be active during the game and you should join in to talk about the game and everything Rangers. The live thread will be open just before game time.
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