The New York Rangers and the New York Islanders are one of the most well-known rivalries in all of sports.
There have been many memorable moments between these two teams, and it’s known for all the hatred and fights. This iconic rivalry has grown throughout the years and now, both teams are fighting to stay alive in the standings.
The New York Islanders started off this season strong and hold a spot in third place of the Metropolitan Division. The New York Rangers are pushing to stay consistent and make a push for the wild card.
This season, the two teams meet four times. The Rangers and the Islanders first met Monday night where the Rangers won 6-2. These next three matchups are important for the Rangers. While both teams aren’t close in the standings, the Rangers in seventh and the Islanders in third, it’s still important that the Rangers can still play well against top teams and potentially move up in the standings. The Rangers need to play like the team did in the first matchup with the Islanders.
The biggest problem for the Rangers has been defense and it has been for years. The defense needs to stay tight against the Islanders’ top scorers. Tony DeAngelo, Adam Fox, and Jacob Trouba have been top defenders for the Rangers this season and each need to play just as tough against the Islanders.
Offense
Artemi Panarin has been playing extremely well. Panarin recorded five points against the Islanders Monday night and the team needs that kind of performance again. Players such as Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich have recently picked back up and started scoring again. The team needs all players to contribute to gain another win.
Goaltending
The Rangers have it good. Henrik Lundqvist, Alexander Georgiev, and Igor Shesterkin have played well and each can stand tall against the Islanders. Each has proved that they can play well and this team needs to take the chances of trying out each goaltender against top teams.
The Rangers played very well in their first matchup with the Islanders, but the team needs to keep that up as the team meets the Islanders again three more times.
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