The rivalry between the New York Islanders and New York Rangers doesn’t need any extra hype—but Tuesday night’s matchup in Elmont, N.Y., is set to bring plenty of drama.
Both teams had Monday off after playing on Sunday. The Islanders returned from the 4 Nations Face-Off break with a 4-3 home loss to the Dallas Stars, while the Rangers wrapped up a back-to-back road trip with a 5-3 comeback win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Sunday’s results increased the urgency for the Islanders, who are on a three-game losing streak and sit five points behind the Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets in the race for the final Eastern Conference wild card spot. They also trail the Rangers by three points, with the Blueshirts currently holding 11th place in the East. The Islanders do, however, have a game in hand on the Rangers, Senators, and Blue Jackets.
In their first game since Feb. 8, the Islanders fell behind early on a goal by Sam Steel just 2:10 into the first period. They were outshot 9-8 in the opening frame but controlled play the rest of the way, outshooting Dallas 29-20. However, the game shifted when Jason Robertson scored twice in 95 seconds following Casey Cizikas’ match penalty for a hit to the head of Lian Bichsel.
“I thought we played a really good 50 minutes,” said Islanders defenseman Tony DeAngelo, who played for the Rangers from 2017 to 2021. “It’s a shame. A game I thought we could at least get a point out of. That’s frustrating, but we’ve got to bounce back next game.”
The Rangers, meanwhile, responded in the third period on Sunday to avoid further struggles. After an 8-2 loss to the last-place Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, they found themselves down 3-2 against Pittsburgh when Ryan Shea scored twice in the first 3:31 of the final period.
Jimmy Vesey tied the game at 4:21, and Adam Fox scored the go-ahead goal with 8:34 remaining before J.T. Miller sealed the win with an empty-netter in the final 10 seconds. The Rangers were outshot 39-16 but still secured the victory, marking their lowest shot total in a win since March 23, 2023, against Carolina.
“We need to win games right now, first and foremost,” said Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren, who assisted on Miller’s insurance goal. “But that’s not a recipe for winning games. We’ve got another big one on Tuesday against a team we’re battling with in the standings. So yeah, we’ve got to play a heck of a lot better, for sure.”
New York won despite the last-minute absence of Chris Kreider, who was scratched after warmups due to an upper-body injury.
For the Islanders, reinforcements are arriving on the blue line. Scott Mayfield and Ryan Pulock returned from injuries Sunday, and Noah Dobson could be available Tuesday as he is eligible to come off long-term injured reserve.