Rangers vs. Islanders: Lineups, storylines for 1st clash between archrivals
So, it’s come to this for the New York Rangers. If they’re going to end a historically bad six-game winless skid (0-5-1) on home ice to begin the season, they’ll need to defeat the their archrival New York Islanders on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
As if, the teams and fans wouldn’t already be at a fever pitch for this rare Saturday night tilt at the World’s Most Famous Arena, the stakes feel even greater for this one. The Rangers are desperate to put these home-ice issues to rest for good. But the Islanders would love nothing more than to extend the Blueshirts misery at MSG.
That’s not even mentioning that it’s an important early-season game for each team. The Rangers (7-6-2) and Islanders (6-6-2) are separated by two points in the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference standings, are meeting for the first time, and likely will battle for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs all season.
The Rangers come off one of their most complete 60-minute performances through 15 games. They defeated the Red Wings 4-1 in Detroit on Friday, improving their road record to a League-best 7-1-1.
Will Cuylle scored a power-play goal; Artemi Panarin had a goal and two assists, days after shaving his head for good luck; Alexis Lafreniere scored his first goal in 13 games; Noah Laba played with boundless energy and scored a big goal; Jonathan Quick was terrific, making 32 saves.
At 5v5, the Rangers held a considerable 28-11 advantage in scoring chances, including a dominant 17-4 edge in high-danger chances, per Natural Stat Trick.
Now, can they bottle that kind of effort and play a similar thorough game against the Islanders? Remember, the Rangers had a three-game winning streak — all on the road — before they returned to MSG, and despite a good start, were shut out by the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0 on Tuesday.
The Islanders are 2-3-2 after a four-game winning streak ended Oct. 25. After blowing a lead and losing to the Boston Bruins 4-3 in a shootout Tuesday, the Islanders trailed the entire way in a 5-2 loss Friday to the Minnesota Wild.
The Rangers swept the regular-season series against the Islanders last season, and finished ahead of them in the standings. However, that cost them in the end because the Islanders won the NHL Draft lottery, and selected stud defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the No. 1 overall pick, a selection that is paying off quite nicely already.
Their winning streak over the Islanders sits at five games, and the Rangers are 8-1-0 in the past nine versus their suburban rivals.
3 storylines when Rangers host Islanders
1. Rookie watch
Laba and Schaefer are making big impacts on their respective teams, despite vastly contrasting expectations for each rookie. Laba, a fourth-round selection in the 2022 draft, has won the hearts of Rangers fans, not to mention the trust and respect of his teammates and coach Mike Sullivan, with his infectious, hard-charging style. Hie effort and compete level are legit, and consistent. And there’s plenty of skill there with New York’s third-line center.
The 22-year-old helped ignite the Rangers on Friday with his third goal of the season, and second in three games. His five points in 15 games are tied for 14th among NHL rookies, and his three goals are tied for third on the Rangers. In short, he’s been a huge addition to the lineup and a big surprise with how far he’s come in his first pro season.
Much more was expected from Schaefer, even though he didn’t turn 18 until training camp. The wonderkid hasn’t failed to impress and continues to deliver on the massive hype. Schaefer is second in rookie scoring with 11 points in 14 games, tied for first with five goals, and first with three power-play goals. He leads all rookies and all Islanders players by averaging 22:07 TOI.
And you’ve got to love how Schaefer is doing his best to reignite this Rangers-Islanders rivalry.
2. Fast start
You know what wouldn’t hurt the Rangers on Saturday? A fast start, that’s what. And not just dominating puck possession and shots on goal for an extended stretch to start the game, like against the Hurricanes. But how about a goal or two or … ?
Listen, the MSG Faithful want to erupt and dance to the Rangers Goal Song, but they’re also nervous, waiting for the next bad thing to happen to the home team, considering its woeful start at The Garden. A goal or two early should ease much of the unrest and help get them into being a difference maker, a real home-ice advantage.
The numbers tell a story, too. The Rangers are 6-1-0 when scoring first this season, 4-0-0 when leading after the first period and 4-0-0 when holding a lead after two.
3. Igor vs. Ilya
Because they’re of similar age, good friends from back home in Russia, command big-time salaries, and considered to be two of the best in the world at their position, the spotlight is always on goalies Igor Shesterkin and Ilya Sorokin when the Rangers face off against the Islanders. That’ll be the case again Saturday, since each didn’t play Friday and will start Saturday.
Due in large part to the fact that the Rangers don’t score on home ice, Shesterkin is 4-5-2 in 11 starts this season. But his 2.26 goals-against average and .915 save percentage paint a better picture of his play. He started great, tailed off a bit for a couple games, and now appears to back in form. Lifetime against the Islanders, the 2022 Vezina Trophy winner is 9-8-1 with a 2.68 GAA, .910 save percentage and one shutout.
Sorokin was a finalist for the Vezina in 2022-23, but has struggled since — especially considering his lofty standards. The 30-year-old is 3-4-2 this season with a 3.33 GAA and .879 save percentage, continuing a downward three-year trend. Lifetime he is 3-6-2 against the Rangers with a 3.46 GAA, .897 save percentage, and one shutout.
New York Rangers projected lineup
Artemi Panarin — Mika Zibanejad — Taylor Raddysh
Will Cuylle — J.T. Miller — Alexis Lafreniere
Conor Sheary — Noah Laba — Jonny Brodzinski
Juuso Parssinen — Sam Carrick — Jaroslav Chmelar
Vladislav Gavrikov — Adam Fox
Carson Soucy — Will Borgen
Matthew Robertson — Braden Schneider
Igor Shesterkin
Jonathan Quick
Rangers vs. Islanders: When, where, what time, how to watch
Who: New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders
When: Saturday Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Madison Square Garden
How to watch: MSG
