Claiming New York: Rangers and Islanders Set for Another Heated Chapter
The battle of New York is about to get its next chapter tomorrow night. The Islanders took care of business in Madison Square Garden on November 8th with a dominating 5-0 win, and now it's time for the Rangers to take care of business on the Islanders' ice. The Blueshirts may be behind, but this Metropolitan Division is as tight as it gets; a single win can bring you from last to third in the blink of an eye. Plenty of season left, but the Islanders have a chance to jump to second in the division, while the Rangers have a chance to stay neck and neck with their New York rivals. The New York battle continues with another chapter as the New York Rangers travel to UBS Arena to take on the New York Islanders tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. EST.
For the Rangers, consistency has always been missing from the start of this season. Still looking to find ways to win without their captain, J.T. Miller, these Rangers will need to learn from their mistakes in their win against Washington and set the tone early at even strength. If they can expect anyone to put the puck in the net, it'll be Artemi Panarin, who leads the Blueshirts with 14 goals. If there's anything that'll make these games easier for them, it's the special teams doing it right. The Rangers' power play sits at 18th in the league at 18.9%, and while the absence of Adam Fox has been a big difference, they'll need to find a way with defenseman Scott Morrow, who seems to have earned a spot on the first unit. Defensively, they'll need to be as sharp as ever and continue to make up for Fox's absence.
On the complete opposite side of the ice, the Islanders look to be much more comfortable. The Islanders' forecheck will no doubt look to wear down this Rangers defense and show their physical presence to slow the Blueshirts down. They, too, will look to get it together on the power play, which sits at 16.4%, 26th in the league. If anyone can drive a spark for the power play, that would be a goal from Matthew Schaefer, leading the Islanders' defense with nine goals this season. If there is a player who can get the scoring started for them, they should look no further than their leading goal scorer, Bo Horvat, as he searches for his 20th of the season against the Rangers tomorrow.
Plenty of season left for both teams, but these are critical points for these two New York teams, in a division where it may just come down to the last game. The Islanders took care of business last time, but this one may just be the exact opposite: a tight one. When there's a tight game, there are goaltenders who just won't give in, and fans should expect that out of goaltenders Igor Shesterkin and Ilya Sorokin. While it may just be a match of laughs for those two best friends, the question of who is better will always run through the minds of their fans. While both are unstoppable in their own ways, one of them is about to pick up a critical win tomorrow night. The question is, who?
When the puck drops tomorrow night in UBS, expect a fast and physical contest right from the start. Fans would do well to keep an eye on special teams during the game, as one quick improvement could be the deciding factor of the night. The Rangers look to gain some consistency and get a winning streak going, while the Islanders look to stay on the Carolina Hurricanes' tail for first in the division; every play matters. We're 24 hours away from another page in this New York battle; all fans can wonder is which team gets to claim New York, for now.
