Who: New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders
Where: Barclays Center
When: Wednesday night at 8:00 PM
Watch: NBCSN
Listen: ESPN-98.7 FM and NewYorkRangers.com
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The Skinny:
In the words of head coach Alain Vigneault, the game between his Rangers (17-6-2, 36 pts) and the Islanders (13-8-4, 30 pts) Wednesday night comes "at the right time" for the Blueshirts, meaning that after some uneven play of late, the sight of their biggest rival should awaken something deep and passionate within the Rangers. That the contest will be played in a new venue--the Rangers will be paying their first visit to Brooklyn's Barclays Center--adds to the theater surrounding the contest, though Henrik Lundqvist noted on Tuesday that it will not alter his team's focus or approach to this important divisional game. The Rangers snapped a three-game losing streak--their longest of the season--with a 4-3 home-ice win on Monday over the Carolina Hurricanes. It was far from a perfect effort, but it was a victory and two points when that is what the Rangers needed most. Now they will need to up their intensity, compete level, and quality of play against an Islanders team that is always fired up to face their biggest rival. While the Rangers have lost four of their last seven games, the Islanders are 5-2-1 in their last eight and have won two in a row coming off a 5-3 win in Brooklyn over the Avalanche on Monday. The Rangers are six points up on the Islanders in the Metropolitan Division, and both teams would love to make a statement on Wednesday. The Rangers come in 6-3-1 on the road, while the Islanders are 8-4-2 in their new home. Both teams have scored nearly the same amount of goals (Rangers holding a 74-72 advantage), but the Blueshirts have surrendered nine fewer goals (53 to 62). The Blueshirts power play has woken up recently, scoring five times in the past five games, including twice on Monday, while the Islanders power play--surprisingly struggling for much of the year--has scored three times in the past two games. The Rangers will be without the injured Derek Stepan and Kevin Klein; and with no call ups, that means Emerson Etem and Dylan McIlrath will each get an opportunity to prove themselves at the NHL level with extended time in the lineup. The Islanders come in healthy, and with Thomas Greiss--not Jaroslav Halak--having started their last two games--both wins--in goal. For the Rangers Lundqvist will get the start in goal. He is seeking his 30th career win vs. the Islanders in his 51st appearance against them. He has a 2.22 GAA and five shutouts lifetime against the Isles.
Head To Head:
Wednesday's game between the Rangers and Islanders is the first-ever meeting between these two rivals at the Barclays Center, and is also the first of four New York-New York contests overall this season. The two teams will meet again in Brooklyn on January 14 and then play a pair at Madison Square Garden on March 6 and April 7. This will be the 255th regular season game played between the Rangers and Islanders, with the Blueshirts owning a 120-104-19-7 all-time advantage. Last year these teams met five times with the Islanders winning each of the first three--including both contests at MSG--before the Rangers won a pair of one-goal decisions at the Nassau Coliseum, 6-5 on February 16 and 2-1 on March 10. With those two wins the Rangers have earned at least one point in eight of their last nine road games against the Islanders, going 7-1-1 in that span. Included in that mix was the only road game the Rangers have ever played against the Islanders not contested at Nassau Coliseum--the 2-1 win outdoors at Yankee Stadium on January 29, 2014. A year ago Rick Nash led the Rangers with three goals and four points against the Islanders, while Ryan McDonagh scored a pair of goals.
Players To Watch:
Rangers-Dylan McIlrath: With Kevin Klein sidelined the next 2-3 weeks, rookie defenseman Dylan McIlrath will get his first extended look in the Rangers lineup, starting with Wednesday's game in Brooklyn. McIlrath has played well, albeit sparingly, so far this season. He has been smart in his own end, stayed away from needless penalties, and added a much-needed physical presence to the Blueshirts' lineup. His two most recent appearances--last Friday in Boston and Saturday at home against Philadelphia--stand out the most. He delivered bone-jarring hits in each game, and also engaged in a pair of fights, one in each contest, including stepping up for the injured Derek Stepan after he was crushed into the boards on a hit thrown by Boston's Matt Beleskey. The recent strong play dovetails with his growing confidence, so this opportunity to play regularly comes at a real good time for the 2010 first round draft pick. So far in six games this year McIlrath has been credited with 16 hits and totaled 24 penalty minutes. He also has an Even plus/minus rating.
Islanders-Kyle Okposo: A career-long Islander since the club made him its first round selection in the 2006 NHL Draft, Kyle Okposo might be playing his final season as a member of the Islanders. A pending unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, Okposo has been rumored to be on the trade block since last summer since it's believed he will depart--and/or be allowed to depart--next summer. None of the rumors have slowed him down, though. Okposo is second on the team in scoring with 20 points in 25 games, just one behind team leader John Tavares. He scored his sixth goal of the season in Monday's win over Colorado, and Okposo leads the Islanders with 14 assists. The 27 year-old Okposo has recorded 11 points (3-8-11) in his last 12 games, and can always be expected to play big in the most important games, meaning the Rangers should expect a strong performance out of him Wednesday night at the Barclays Center.
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