Alexis Lafrenière owns rivalry night with hat trick in Rangers’ fourth straight win

The New York Rangers entered Tuesday night’s matchup at home against one of their most significant rivals, the New York Islanders, riding a three‑game winning streak. With Joe Veleno sidelined due to injury, the big club called up Cole Beaudoin to make his NHL debut.

Beaudoin earned the promotion immediately with his strong play in Hartford. He opened the AHL season with five points (one goal, four assists) in just two games with the Hartford Wolf Pack before being recalled by the Rangers.

The Rangers’ quicker, more aggressive forecheck this season was evident early. The Islanders found themselves with little time or space to make plays.

That effort paid off midway through the first period when Alexis Lafrenière blitzed Matthew Schaefer behind the net, forcing a turnover that landed on the stick of Oliver Bjorkstrand. Bjorkstrand ripped a shot past Islanders backup Semyon Varlamov to open the scoring with his first goal as a Ranger.

Varlamov didn’t look sharp early, and it was hard to blame him. Prior to tonight’s start, he hadn’t played a regular‑season game in 676 days — his last coming on November 29 of last year.

The Rangers’ first‑period efficiency stayed true to form, as they didn’t give up the opening goal for the fifth time this season, outscoring opponents 5–0 in first periods. It is something Mike Sullivan is happy to see, and it is such a change of pace from how the team started games last season.

The second period opened with more brilliance from Lafrenière. Mika Zibanejad sprung him with an open‑ice pass, sending Lafrenière down the left circle, where he launched an unstoppable wrist shot over Varlamov’s glove.

It looked like the Rangers were about to run away with the game, but an ill‑advised offensive‑zone penalty by Eeli Tolvanen swung momentum back into the Isles favor. The Islanders capitalized immediately on the power play, with Bo Horvat wiring a shot from the left circle for his second goal of the season. Shortly after, Cal Ritchie tied the game, making the rest of the night far more competitive.

The Rangers retook the lead late in the second after a holding call on Brayden Schenn gave them a power play, and they made the Islanders pay. Bjorkstrand scored his second goal of the night off a sharp pass from Gabe Perreault, who is looking more and more like a young man possessed — determined to break out regardless of which unit he’s on. He has become the leader and quarterback of the Rangers’ surprisingly lethal second power‑play unit.

The Islanders pressed to tie the score in the third period, turning the game into a hard‑nosed battle in the corners. The style evoked memories of the 2010 “Black and Blueshirts.” This team’s identity is beginning to mirror its coach. Mike Sullivan’s blueprint is clearly taking hold: fast, tenacious, relentless on the forecheck, and committed to doing the dirty work.

As the Rangers closed out the game, Lafrenière put the cherry on top of both the victory and his four‑point night, by scoring two empty‑netters with Varlamov pulled to complete the hat trick and secure a 5–2 win over their rivals.

With hats raining down onto the ice, the Rangers earned their fourth straight victory and sent The Garden faithful home happy. After a grueling start to the season that forced them to play five games in eight nights, winning four of their first five is a significant accomplishment, and one that can help set the tone for the rest of the year.

The story of this team is still being written, but they’re building on a foundation of hard work, dedication, and most importantly... wins in the column and points banked away.

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