12/22/11 Rangers vs. New York Islanders

Shut the door, baby, don't say nothin'.

Rangers against the New York Islanders.

The Rangers are coming off of a hard fought 4-1 win against the New Jersey Devils, as they look to extend their win streak to three games in MSG. The Rangers battled the Devils for the entire 60 minutes of hockey, as Marian Gaborik scored twice, and Carl Hagelin helped out shorthanded to lift the team to a victory. The Rangers have ended their road trip and return home tonight to take on interstate rivals in the Islanders, a team that has exploited the Rangers, and been exploited by the Rangers already this season. Both of the game the Rangers and Islanders have played so far ended in the score of 4-2, with the Islanders taking the first, and the Rangers taking the most recent. The Rangers, despite missing four key members of their defense, should look to play just the way they did against the Devils. The Rangers need to play with reckless abandon, and throw everything they've got at the Islanders to set the tone of this game. The main reason why the Rangers were able to overtake the Devils was because of the intensity they showed from the get-go. If they can do that again tonight against the Islanders, they can set the tone, play the game the way they want to, and swagger into a victory.



The Islanders are depleted by injuries to say the very, very least. Most recently, starting goalie Al Montoya suffered an injury against the Winnipeg Jets, and his status for tonight's game is unclear. However, despite their adversity, they have managed to play some good hockey as of late, as they are in the midst of their own two game win streak.

The Diagnosis


This is the second division rival of three that the Rangers will play in four nights, as they take on the Flyers tomorrow as well. It is going to be a tough schedule, but we have seen the Rangers pull out victories from nothing a few times this season, and hopefully they can continue their good fortune tonight. Like I stated earlier, if the Rangers can just put their nose to the grindstone and put everything they've got on the ice, they can win this game.

The Prediction


Rangers win 3-1.

Ryan Callahan will get a late goal in the 1st to give the Rangers the lead.
Brandon Dubinsky will get the first goal of the 2nd giving the Rangers a two goal lead.
Matt Moulson will score the lone goal for the Islanders also in the 2nd.
And finally, Brad Richards will get the empty netter to win the game for the Rangers in the 3rd.

Enjoy the game!