12/26/11 Rangers vs. New York Islanders

But I didn't get to shake my belly like a bowl full of jelly!

Rangers against the New York Islanders.

The Rangers meet for the four time already this season. All three of the previous match ups between these teams this season have ended in a score of 4-2, the Islanders taking the first one, and the Rangers taking the latest two. The Rangers have been riding high lately, beating three division rivals before the break for Christmas. The Rangers started by beating the Devils, then the Islanders, and Flyers in a back-to-back series to cap off their first quarter for the season. The team has gelled in the midst of losing much of their defense, but some light has been shed on the Rangers situation as defensive cornerstone Marc Staal was cleared for contact today after being shelved for the entire season so far with a concussion. And with the defense taking a toll, the defense and goaltending of the Rangers has really stood strong to pick up some of the slack. Marian Gaborik leads the league with 21 goals, and Henrik Lundqvist and Marty Biron have done their best to keep games close.

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.

11/15/11 Rangers vs. New York Islanders

Comin' atcha live from the Brookdale library.

Rangers against the New York Islanders.

This is the second meeting of these two teams this season, as the Rangers look to extend their six game win streak to a seven game win streak on Long Island. The last time these two teams faced, the Rangers struggled to contain John Tavares as h scored three goals for the hat-trick. Since then, the Islanders haven't been fairing so well, as they are 1-6-3 in their last ten games, their last win coming against the Rangers. Meanwhile, the Rangers have been showing some quality hockey during this win streak, as they have outscored their opponents 23-9. The tandem of Henrik Lundqvist and Martin Biron has been stellar along this stretch, and it is humbling to know that so long as both are healthy, this dynamic duo can get it done any given night. As far as offense goes, many of the forwards for the Rangers, as well as defensemen have been chipping in as of late. Marian Gaborik has 11 points in eight of his last games, and the defense has contributed a total of eight goals so far this season, despite not having Marc Staal.

3/31/11 Rangers vs. Islanders

Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.

The final saga between the Rangers and Islanders will take place tonight on Long Island as the Rangers look to provide some more cushion to a potential playoff spot (which they will get). The Rangers took a tough loss to Buffalo yesterday, but it did not seem like the Rangers looked like they had any serious issues to overcome in that game. Give credit to Buffalo for shutting down the Rangers throughout the game, supplying backup Jhonas Enroth with quite a bit of protection. But tonight, the Rangers are going to have to take full control of the reigns against the Islanders. The Rangers have had trouble putting the puck in the net as of recent, but have also done a good job of keeping a lot of pucks out of their own net. The Rangers have had some great success against the Islanders this season, winning four out of their five meetings, all four consecutively. Marian Gaborik has scored six goals against the Islanders so far this season. Him being big factor in tonights game is a must for the Rangers success. The Rangers are currently tied with the Buffalo Sabres, and the Carolina Hurricanes are right below them. A win tonight will tie the Rangers with the Montreal Canadiens, and put them ahead of the Sabres who are off tonight.

The Islanders are in the midst of a three game losing streak, the longest streak of losses it seems since they changed coaches to Jack Capuano. The Islanders are mathematically eliminated, but that will not be a reason for them to just roll over and lose tonight. The Islanders sent out ex-Rangers goalie prospect Al Montoya between the pipes last time these two teams met. After a dismal two periods, the Islanders replaced him with Nathan Lawson, the fourth goalie to face the Rangers for the Islanders this season. Along with that, the Islanders are missing some key players in captain Doug Weight, Milan Jurcina and Bruno Gervais. Jurcina and Gervais are both defensemen, which means the defense is lacking some depth, something the Rangers would want to try and exploit.

My Diagnosis


The Rangers are lucky to have three days of rest, because they're schedule is really picking up now that its over. Despite playing a game 24 hours ago, the Rangers are going to need to be alert, and not try to make the fancy play. the grinding game has worked for the Rangers so far this season against the Islanders, and swaying from that now would be a terrible mistake. Throw pucks at the net, fore-check, and takeaway the neutral zone. If they can execute that well enough, they have a good shot of taking these two points from the Islanders tonight.