New York Rangers Lose 2-0 To New York Islanders In a Heated Rivalry

The Rangers lost to the Islanders 2-0 as the Islanders came out on fire. This game against the Rangers was important for the Islanders. Not only was the game against a big rival, but the Rangers are a Metropolitan Division foe. In an interdivision game, wins and losses are worth four points, so this game was an important win for the Islanders.

The Islanders were happy to get Bo Horvat, their leading scorer, back for this game against the Rangers. However, they lost their best goaltender to injury in this contest. Do you think the Islander’s injuries will hamper them going forward?

Rangers Lose To Islanders Scoring Summary

Like the Islanders, the Rangers are also coming off a win in their last game before the holiday break. The Rangers scored five unanswered third-period goals to blow out the Washington Capitals after they trailed 3-2 after 48 minutes. The flurry included multiple points from Taylor Raddysh, Vincent Trocheck, Will Cuylle, Artemi Panarin, and Alexis Lafrenièr in the win. Igor Shesterkin made 29 saves in the win.

In the first period, Anders Lee scored for the Islanders, and they led 1-0. In the second period, no goals were scored, though the Rangers had the better of the play. Rittich was good for the Islanders. He took advantage of his opportunity.

In the third period, Simon Holmsrom scored an empty net goal to give the Islanders a 2-0 lead. That is how the game ended; this is the second shutout in a row by the Islanders against the Rangers.

News and Notes

• The Islanders shut out the Rangers 5-0 in the first meeting of the season on November 8. The Islanders had not won in five games against the Rangers. That win also started a seven-game road trip that saw the Islanders improbably win six of seven.
• David Rittich started in the net for the Islanders. Rittich is 7-3-1 this season. He has a 2.59 goals against average. He also has a .905 save percentage. His statistics are very good for a backup.
• Lee now has 299 career goals, so he is one goal away from the 300-goal milestone.
• This was the 299th meeting between the New York Islanders and New York Rangers. However, this was only the tenth time the Islanders scored in the first period.
• The entire National Hockey League takes off December 24-26. There are no games and no practices.
• Simon Holmstrom’s goal on Tuesday marked the 13,000th goal in franchise history.
• The National Anthem was performed on a clarinet by 104-year-old Dominic Citerelli. Usually, the performer of the National Anthem is neither here nor there, but this was outstanding.

Packed Standings

The story of this season in the National Hockey League is how tight the standings are in both conferences. The top six teams in the Metropolitan Division are separated by five points, so this game between the Islanders and the Rangers has huge implications in the standings.

Islanders Head Coach Patrick Roy said after the game on Tuesday that the standings will become ultra-important from here on out. The Islanders rank third in the Metropolitan Division with 44 points, three points behind the first-place Carolina Hurricanes and one point behind the second-place Philadelphia Flyers.

The Rangers, with 42 points, are in sixth place in the division, chasing the Capitals with 43 points and the Florida Panthers with 42 points for wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference.

Sorokin On Injured Reserve

Islanders standout Goaltender Ilya Sorokin was placed on injured reserve, retroactive to December 20. Marcus Hogberg was recalled on an emergency from Bridgeport in a corresponding move. Sorokin’s retroactive Injured Reserve designation means the earliest he could be activated is December 28. Sorokin, a big loss for the Islanders, is 12-10-2 this season with a 2.55 Goals against average and a .910 save percentage and three shutouts.

With Sorokin out, David Rittich is expected to play his third straight game on Saturday. Rittich is 2-0-1 in his last three starts, stopping 92-of-97 shots. Rittach has been good this season, but it is not known how he will react to playing so many games in a row. The plan is for him to play tomorrow night as well.

Conclusion

This was a hard-checking, rough-and-tumble rivalry game. Games between the Islanders and Rangers always are. The Islanders kept their one-goal lead for the rest of the game, with the Islanders scoring in the first minute of the game. The Islanders play in Columbus against the Blue Jackets tomorrow at 5.