3 Takeaways: Islanders Grind Out 4-2 Win Over Rangers

The New York Islanders held onto a late lead and as a result held onto third place in the Metropolitan Division, beating the New York Rangers 4-2 on Tuesday night at UBS Arena.

Mike Reilly, Bo Horvat (1G, 1A) and Kyle Palmieri scored first period goals for the Islanders, and Noah Dobson had two assists, providing enough of a lead for the Isles to grind their way to their fifth-straight win. Chris Kreider and Adam Fox scored power-play goals in the second period, but that’s as close as the Rangers game. Anders Lee’s empty-netter rounded out the scoring. Semyon Varlamov stopped 32-of-34 in the win, while Igor Shesterkin stopped 25-of-28 in the loss.  

With the win, the Islanders (87 points) stay in third place in the Metropolitan Division, two points clear of the Washington Capitals (85 points), who moved into the second wild card after beating the Detroit Red Wings 2-1.

“We’ve been through a lot this year,” Horvat said. “We just keep plugging away and proving people wrong and just keep gutting it out all the way to the end here. We still have to win hockey games here down the stretch and it’s not going to be easy and we have to be at our best.”

ISLES RIDE THREE GOAL FIRST PERIOD:

The Islanders came out with a purpose on Tuesday night, jumping on the Rangers to the tune of three first period goals.

After Mathew Barzal was denied on an early penalty shot, Mike Reilly opened the scoring at the 4:12 mark, as his centering feed caromed off Ryan Lindgren’s stick and past Igor Shesterkin.

The Isles continued to press, at one point outshooting the Rangers by an 8-1 margin. After weathering a Rangers push, Bo Horvat made it 2-0 Isles, deflecting a Noah Dobson floater for his fourth goal against the Blueshirts this season.

The Islanders rode the momentum of the Horvat goal and raucous crowd, with Kyle Palmieri making it 3-0 at the 13:38 mark. Brock Nelson caught Shesterkin all out of sorts and out of position during some Isles pressure and found Palmieri in the crease from behind the net for a tap-in.

Every metric was in the Islanders favor after the first period, as they outscored the Rangers 3-0, outshot their rivals 18-9, and generated six high-danger chances at five-on-five (per Natural Stat Trick) to just two for the Blueshirts. There were plenty of chances, including a Reilly spin-o-rama pass to Kyle MacLean, as well as a prime Palmieri shot in the slot that was denied by Shesterkin.

ISLES GIVE UP TWO ON THE PK:

The Islanders had already found out the hard way how effective the Rangers power play could be when they allowed three power-play goals – including two in the final five minutes of the third period – in the Rangers 6-5 comeback win in OT during the NHL Stadium Series.

On Tuesday night, they got a taste of it again, as the Rangers scored a pair of power-play goals in the second period.

Both goals came in similar fashion, with wristers from the point finding their way through heavy traffic. The first was a Chris Kreider tip on a wrister from Artemi Panarin at 7:47 on the Rangers first power play. Adam Fox beat Semyon Varlamov through a screen at 15:01, on the third Rangers power play.

While the penalty kill went 1-for-3 on the evening, the Isles outscored the Rangers 3-0 at five-on-five (and 1-0 at five-on-six).

ISLES HANG ON IN THIRD PERIOD FOR WIN:

Armed with a 3-2 lead, the ice was heavily tilted in the third period, as the Rangers outshot the Islanders 13-4, but the Isles held on for the win.

“We did what we had to do to win this hockey game,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said.

That was Semyon Varlamov’s time to shine, as the Isles netminder stopped all 13 third period shots, including the six high-danger chances the Rangers were credited with in the final frame. For his efforts he was named the game’s first star for a second straight game and is now 6-1-1 in his last eight starts.

One game after setting a season-high with 33 blocked shots, the Isles set a new bar, laying out for 34 blocks. Adam Pelech had a team-high six, while Mathew Barzal laid out for a big block late in the period.

“It’s the commitment that these guys are making,” Roy said. “Our group is really committed to make the playoffs. There’s a lot of hockey to be played even if it’s only four games, but we need to play that way and that’s the urgency and desperation that we want to see from our guys.”

The Isles third period effort was also on display in the form of Kyle MacLean beating out an icing goal to help kill some clock in the second half of the period.

“Every inch matters, every play matters,” Cal Clutterbuck said. “Those are the types of things that will endear yourself to your teammates and your fans.”

As for Clutterbuck, Roy credited the veteran with bringing the group together at the bench during a TV timeout to calm and rally the group during the siege.

“It showed the experience that these guys have to calm the guys,” Roy said. “It’s even better when it comes from the players themselves. We had a bit of trouble to get the puck out of the zone, but he made it clear to our guys let’s stay to the agenda and do a better job getting the pucks out and that’s what we did in the end.”

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders take on the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m.