New York Rangers claim Battle of New York once again

Goaltender Igor Shesterkin punched his fourth shutout of the 2024-25 season in the midst of helping the New York Rangers claim a 4-0 victory over the Islanders on Monday night.

The Rangers posted back-to-back shutouts and back-to-back wins at home which has now resulted in the Blueshirts being tied with the Detroit Red Wings for the second East wild card spot. Eight different New York Rangers tallied points against the Islanders in the Battle of New York — futher solidying them as a team ready to handle the high stakes of the playoffs.

Defenseman Braden Schneider said the Rangers are really locked in on their efforts to play to the best of their ability.

"I've thought we've done a really good job of that [since]. We've been able to keep things to the outside for the most part and then blocking shots, taking guys out the play when we can," Schneider said. "Everyone's buying in. It's awesome to see and it's obviously working for us."

Will Cuylle logged his 17th goal of the season at the 15:03 mark of the first period by a deflection off of his head. The puck sailed past Islander goaltender Ilya Sorokin after making contact with Cuylle's head.

Rangers Head Coach Peter Laviolette said postgame that he has noticed growth in Cuylle's on-ice responsibilities.

"He's been really good. HIs speed, his physicality - his role just keeps expanding and he's growing into it," Laviolette said. "[His goal was] a real beauty. One he’ll probably remember for the rest of his life.”

Defenseman Zac Jones was credited with an assist. The return of the Battle of New York gave Jones his 100th career game in which he totaled 19:14 TOI.

45 seconds before the end of the first period Will Borgen scored off of a high-speed wrist shot with Sam Carrick and Cuylle notching the assists.

The second period remained scoreless for both teams thanks in part to Shesterkin's efforts. The Russia native stopped six shots alone in the second frame but concluded the matchup with 21 of 21 possible saves. The highest-paid goalie in the NHL now has 19 total shutouts in his career.

J.T. Miller — traded from the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 31st — extended his point streak to six with a snap shot goal to start off the third period. Like Jones, he also posted an assist for Cuylle's goal in the first period. Team leader Artemi Panarin logged the assist. Miller is now up to 14 points in 11 games since joining the Rangers' roster.

Panarin concluded the matchup with just over five minutes to go with a goal of his own. The wrist shot was assisted by Alexis Lafreniere and Vincent Trocheck.

As previously mentioned, the Rangers are now tied with the Detroit Red Wings with 66 points for the second Eastern Wild Card spot. The Columbus Blue Jackets currently lead the race for the Wild Card spot with only 68 points.

Up Next

The Blueshirts have three more matchups before the week ends. First the Washington Capials travel to Madison Square Garden for a Wednesday night puck drop of 7:30 p.m. EST. The Rangers then hit the road to travel to Ottawa to take on the Senators on Saturday before taking on Columbus Sunday evening to hopefully secure more points in their playoff race.