Game Preview: Islanders vs Rangers
The Islanders conclude a two-game homestand when they play their crosstown rivals (7:30 p.m., MSGSN)
NEW YORK ISLANDERS (25-24-7) VS NEW YORK RANGERS (28-25-4)
7:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS
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The New York Islanders are hosting the New York Rangers at UBS Arena for the first time this season, when the crosstown rivals drop the puck on Tuesday night.
The Islanders are coming off a 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Sunday in their first game back from the break. Pierre Engvall, Kyle Palmieri and Anthony Duclair scored, and Ilya Sorokin made 25 saves, but despite a third period push – where the Isles outshot the Stars 11-5 – New York came up short.
The defeat extended their losing streak to three games, dating back to before the break when they fell to the Winnipeg Jets and the Minnesota Wild in a back-to-back set.
The Rangers won 5-3 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in a game where they were outshot 39-16. Will Cuylle, J.T. Miller (2G), Jimmy Vesey (1G, 1A) and Adam Fox (1G, 1A) powered the offense for the Rangers and Igor Shesterkin posted a 36-save performance.
The Islanders trail the season series 0-1-0 after a 5-2 loss to the Rangers on Nov. 3. Last season, the Islanders beat the Rangers in a 4-2 decision on Apr. 9, which was the most recent meeting between the two teams at UBS Arena.
The crosstown rivals are close in the standings and are both chasing a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Islanders (57 points) are three points back of the Rangers (60 points) though the Isles have one game in-hand.
The Rangers are one of the three teams outside of the playoff picture that the Islanders need to leapfrog – in addition to Columbus (62 points) and Boston (61 points). The Detroit Red Wings (64 points) and Ottawa Senators (62 points) currently occupy the two wild card spots in the east.
The New York Islanders (25-24-7) host the New York Rangers (28-25-4) on Tuesday night at UBS Arena. The Isles Morning Minute is presented by Acrisure.
Defenseman Adam Boqvist will draw back into the lineup on Tuesday night, returning after sitting out Sunday’s contest as a healthy scratch. Scott Mayfield will come out of the lineup as a result.
Ilya Sorokin will get the start for the Isles. Sorokin is 20-17-4 this season, along with a 2.72 GAA and a .907 SV%.
Igor Shesterkin is the expected starter for the Rangers on Tuesday night. The netminder has a record of 19-20-2 this season along with a 2.98 GAA and a .903 SV%.
– Ryan Pulock and Scott Mayfield returned to the lineup after seven-game and four-game absences, respectively. Pulock recorded 20:27 TOI with two shots and four blocked shots, while Mayfield skated 10:36 with two blocked shots, one takeaway.
“They played a good game,” Roy said postgame on Sunday. “I thought [Mayfield] played a good game and same thing with Pulock. I think he started to feel more comfortable towards the end. He had a great rush in the end and when he’s moving offensively, I know that he is.”
– Kyle Palmieri extended his goal streak to three games (3G) with a second-period tally against the Stars. The winger ranks third on the Isles with 38 points (17G, 21A) through 56 games this season.
– Pierre Engvall netted his fourth goal of the season on Sunday, which marked his first goal since Nov. 19 and snapped a 27-game goal drought for the winger.
– Brock Nelson recorded the 567th point of his career on Sunday, passing Pat LaFontaine for sole possession of eighth place on the Islanders’ all-time scoring list.
– Sunday’s loss put an end to a season-long, six-game home winning streak. The Isles’ record on home ice this season is 13-12-2.
Think you know Anthony Duclair? Test your knowledge with these 5 questions for a chance to win a signed card.
– The Rangers have had an up-and-down season. After a hot start where they went 12-4-1 in their first 17 games of the season, the Rangers followed it up with a 4-15-0 stretch. They’ve stabilized since the calendar flipped to 2025, with a record of 12-6-3 since Jan. 1.
– Chris Kreider (upper-body) was a late scratch ahead of Sunday’s contest against the Penguins after he took warmups and line rushes. The veteran forward is the team’s second-leading goal scorer with 17 tallies. Brennan Othmann was recalled on Monday from Hartford Wolf Pack, the Rangers’ AHL affiliate, in case Kreider is unable to play against the Islanders on Tuesday.
– Artemi Panarin leads the Rangers with 59 points (23G 36A) through 55 games this season. The Russian forward is one year removed from a 120-point season where he put up 49 goals and 71 assists.
– Igor Shesterkin signed an eight-year extension on Dec. 8 with an average annual value of $11.5 million.
– The Rangers’ power play ranks 17th in the NHL (21.2%) but has seen improvement as of late, converting at 31.7 since Jan. 7.
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It’s a late-season, high-stakes rivalry game, except is it really?
It’s taken until almost March for the schedule to feature a second New York derby, with the Rangers visiting Long Island for the first time this season. Both teams are “in the wild card race” so this game technically “means something,” but it feels like one team’s management and the other team’s fanbase are more in retool, “let’s not scratch and crawl for a first-round exit” mode.
Brock Nelson, who was linemates with Vincent Trocheck and sometimes Chris Kreider at the Four Nations, returns to his regular role opposing such scum, while J.T. Miller (2G vs. the Penguins) continues his rebirth and Adam Fox (2 pts. vs. the Pens) returns to…whatever it is he does when not disappointing on national team duty.
Leave First Islanders Goal picks for tonight here.
The Chicago Blackhawks turned superstars into a dynasty, and a dynasty into an impossible standard
Only two games last night, both out west.
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How the Chicago Blackhawks turned superstars into a dynasty, and a dynasty into a nightmare
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The NHL is failing the Battle of New York
The Islanders made their debut in the building in Elmont at Belmont Park on Nov. 19, 2021, about six weeks into the 2021-22 season. The Rangers made their first visit to the shiny, new place called UBS five days later.
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