New York Rangers Return Home to Host The Islanders

Rangers	NHL Rankings	Islanders
44-19-5	Record	30-27-9
4^th	NHL Standing Rank	24^th
17^th	GF/PG	23^rd
3^rd	GA/PG	6^th
2^nd	PP%	19^th
13^th	PK%	6^th

Previous Game

The Blueshirts defeated the Detroit Red Wings 5-4 in overtime. It was the second game of a back-to-back in which the Rangers found a way to win the game. The Blueshirts trailed on three separate occasions and fought back each time including a power-play goal from Chris Kreider in the final few minutes of regulation. In overtime, Andrew Copp recorded the game-winning goal. The Blueshirts also got goals from Ryan Reaves, Filip Chytil, and Artemi Panarin.

Rangers

At the morning skate, Ryan Strome was once again absent as he continues to deal with a lower-body injury. While signs continue to point that Strome will miss his third-straight game, head coach Gerard Gallant wouldn’t rule him out during Friday morning’s press conference with the media.

If Strome remains unavailable, expect Copp to continue to center the second line with Panarin and Dryden Hunt. Should Strome return, Hunt could drop to the fourth line or potentially out of the lineup.

For newcomers Copp, Frank Vatrano, and Tyler Motte – this will be the first time the trio will experience “The Battle of New York.”

“It’ll be a good experience to be a part of it for once,” said Motte on Friday morning.

Chris Kreider is currently sitting at 46 goals and is just four away from 50. Kreider currently has eight goals in the last ten games as he looks to reach the half-century mark. Kreider is currently third in the goal-scoring around the league behind Auston Matthews (50 goals) and Leon Draisaitl (49 goals).

Igor Shesterkin will be back in goal for the Blueshirts. Shesterkin made 22 saves on 24 shots during his last start against the Penguins.

Islanders

The biggest question mark for the Islanders entering this game is who will start in goal? Ilya Sorokin is currently day-to-day with an upper-body injury and his status is questionable. The Islanders played on Thursday night against the Blue Jackets in which Semyon Varlamov recorded the victory. If Sorokin is available, expect the 26-year-old to get the start. If he isn’t available, the Islanders will have to choose between starting Varlamov on back-to-back nights or starting 36-year-old Cory Schneider for the first time this season.

The Islanders have been hot in their past 13 games despite not going to make the playoffs. They hold a record of 9-3-1 including a victory at Madison Square Garden during this stretch. The Blue and Orange are averaging over 3.5 goals per game with a power-play hovering at 29%. On defense, the Islanders are allowing just 2.31 goals against per game and their penalty kill is over 88%.

Leading the Islanders in points during this 13-game stretch is Brock Nelson with 18 points. Nelson also has 11 goals. Captain Anders Lee has 17 points as he also is producing at over a point-per-game pace. Nelson and Lee make up two-thirds of the Islanders’ top line.

What to Watch

The Rangers weren’t at their best against Detroit but their high-tempo forecheck was very impressive against the Penguins the night prior. It is worth watching whether the Rangers can continue to use their high-tempo forecheck now that they have had a day to rest and that they are playing a team that’s been as good as anyone since March 10^th.