NHL
One crew at Madison Sq. Backyard on Sunday was gunning for the highest spot within the Japanese Convention whereas the opposite was desperately making an attempt to cling to the foothold it so not too long ago gained within the playoff race.
And in case you didn’t know which was which, it wouldn’t have been exhausting to determine it out.
The Rangers didn’t want a dramatic late comeback to beat the Islanders this time, doing so 5-2 on a day the place even after initially happening, the Blueshirts at all times had a veneer of management.
The visiting Islanders, now winless in all eight video games they’ve performed on the second finish of a back-to-back this 12 months, noticed their dropping streak slide to 4 video games and had been pressured to attend for the result of the Crimson Wings-Penguins recreation later within the day to evaluate the injury to their playoff hopes.
Suffice to say, although, that they’re going within the incorrect course on the incorrect time.
There aren’t any such worries for the Rangers.
Now winners of 5 of six video games because the commerce deadline, Peter Laviolette’s aspect shifted round its backside six, with Jimmy Vesey transferring to the fourth line whereas Jonny Brodzinski went to the third, and performed a tough, grinding recreation to again it up.
The Rangers forechecked all recreation lengthy, obtained under the hash marks and steadily hemmed in an Islanders aspect that attempted a number of combos in its defensive pairs, however by no means discovered one which labored.
The one dangerous information for the Rangers got here within the second interval, when Ryan Lindgren went down following a success from Jean-Gabrel Pageau and didn’t return to the sport, with the crew citing a lower-body harm.
As for the on-ice play, although, it was easy crusing.
Retaining the identical modifications that Patrick Roy tried in his prime six late in Saturday’s loss to Ottawa, with Kyle Palmieri and Mat Barzal switching spots, didn’t assist the Islanders.
The protection and forwards performed one other disconnected recreation — an indicator of this dropping streak — and the Isles had been once more left with solely a scattered offensive recreation.
Nonetheless, that ended up being sufficient for them to hold round, a minimum of till a 3rd interval during which the Rangers fully and completely asserted their dominance.
With the away aspect needing a push after going into the third interval down 3-2, it was as an alternative the Blueshirts who obtained one. Kaapo Kakko completed off a protracted offensive zone shift by beating Ilya Sorokin clear from the suitable circle on the 2:36 mark, all however cementing the end result.
Then — with just about zero semblance of momentum for the Islanders in between — Ok’Andre Miller fed Alexis Lafreniere for a free look within the slot, which Lafreniere promptly transformed.
One aspect performed composed and bodily asserted itself. The opposite by no means got here near doing so.
And with “Igor’s Higher” chants filling The Backyard on Sunday, it’s a minimum of clear that Sorokin — who let in 5 of 30 photographs he noticed — shouldn’t be going to single handedly take the Islanders to the playoffs once more.
The Rangers had gone down on Bo Horvat’s first-period objective, however tied it up in brief order, with Mika Zibanejad stepping into the slot unimpeded for a one-timer simply 27 seconds into the second interval.
Will Cuylle took benefit of one other defensive breakdown to make it 2-1 off the push on the 10:14 mark.
Horvat re-tied the sport at two lower than 4 minutes later, muscling by way of Barclay Goodrow to wash up the rebound on Mike Reilly’s preliminary shot.
However that momentum was short-lived as Brodzinski tipped Miller’s shot previous Sorokin on the 15:01 mark, with the Islanders’ netminder getting a chunk of the puck earlier than it ended up at the back of his web.
At five-on-five, although, the Rangers outworked and out-generated the Islanders, and reaped the rewards.
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