The Rangers are set to take on their crosstown rivals just one day before the NHL trade deadline (7:00 P.M. ET, MSG2).
| Rangers | East Division Ranks /8 | Islanders |
| 19-16-5 | Record | 26-11-4 |
| 6th | East Ranking | 1st |
| 3rd | GF/PG | 5th |
| 3rd | GA/PG | 1st |
| 5th | PP% | 7th |
| 2nd | PK% | 4th |
The Rangers became just the second team to defeat the Islanders in regulation at Nassau Coliseum this season. David Quinn’s team was victorious 4-1 on Friday after suffering a defeat to the Pittsburgh Penguins just the night prior. The kid line led the way with strong performances from the entire line. The line of Alexis Lafreniere, Filip Chytil, and Kaapo Kakko was buzzing and causing problems for the Islanders all night. This line would open the scoring in the second period with a goal from Lafreniere and assists from Chytil and Kakko. Colin Blackwell, K’Andre Miller, and Mika Zibanejad (empty net) would tack on goals to help secure a much-needed win.
Alex Georgiev played in his first game since March 19th and he looked very comfortable. Georgiev made 31 saves to improve his career record against the Islanders to 7-2-0.
“I just tried to enjoy the game. I felt confident coming into it and tried to just do my job,” Georgiev said. “Same as usual.”
The Islanders are expected to have a slightly different look and some different lines according to Andrew Gross of Newsday. The Islanders recently acquired Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac from the Devils and head coach Barry Trotz will have to figure out the best spot for his two new additions. Neither player has yet to record a point since joining the Islanders earlier in the week.
Now the trade deadline looms which will have an important impact beyond this season. Will general managers learn from mistakes that were made when the Vegas Golden Knights were introduced to the league? Seattle is set to join the NHL upon the conclusion of the season. Monday’s deadline will be the last time before the offseason teams can prepare for the expansion draft. Any move a team does make could have a huge impact going forward.
It’s expected by many to be a quieter trade deadline than normal due to the expansion draft and COVID restrictions. Unless a hockey deal is there to be made, the Blueshirts are expected to be very quiet on the trade front. It’s no secret the Rangers are in the market for a center so they’ll be active on that front. The only players who may be on the way out are Brendan Smith and Colin Blackwell who would bring back only mid-round draft picks at best. Castaway Tony DeAngelo is also available and would likely be moved if the Rangers could get anything for him.
Igor Shesterkin will go right back in the net for the Rangers. Shesterkin has made himself the clear-cut number one goalie and it appears that Quinn will start to lean on the 25-year-old. Quinn said this was one of the most debated decisions on who starts in goal that the coaching staff has had all season. The Rangers are expected to stick with the same lineup barring any trade prior to the game.
Projected Lineup
Kreider-Zibanejad-Buchnevich
Panarin-Strome-Blackwell
Lafreniere-Chytil-Kakko
Howden-Rooney-Kravtsov
Lindgren-Fox
Miller-Trouba
Hajek-Smith
Shesterkin
