Game Preview: Islanders at Rangers

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (29-15-5) AT NEW YORK RANGERS (26-18-6)
7PM | MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
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The New York Islanders head into Manhattan to take on the New York Rangers for the seventh time this season when the teams meet on Thursday night.
The Islanders enter the matchup after going 0-2-1 in a three-game set against the Washington Capitals. The last Islanders win came back on April 20 against the Rangers, in a decisive 6-1 victory over their crosstown rivals 6-1.
Offensive struggles have burdened the Islanders as of late, as they've scored 12 even-strength goals since April 1 when they defeated Washington 8-4. In their most recent contest on Tuesday night, the Islanders were blanked 1-0 by the Capitals, getting shut out for the second time in three games. Ilya Sorokin made 32 saves in his second-consecutive start and was backed up by Cory Schneider.

The Rangers have won three-straight games entering Thursday and are 10-3-2 in April, making them one of the hottest teams in the NHL. Most recently, the Rangers beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-1 on Tuesday night. Brendan Smith and Alexis Lafreniere scored at even-strength while Mika Zibanejad scored on the power play. Igor Shesterkin made 36 saves on 37 shots in the win.
The Islanders currently sit in third place in the East Division with 63 points, behind Washington (68 points) and Pittsburgh (67 points). The Islanders are only one point ahead of Boston (62 points), while the Bruins have only played 48 games compared to the Islanders' 49 games. The Rangers are currently four points (58 points) outside of a playoff spot as they sit in fifth place.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

*Update: There will be 1-2 chnages to the lineup per Islanders Head Coach Barry Trotz.
• In addition to scoring only 12 even-strength goals since April 1, the Islanders have scored only 15 goals (two in overtime) in their last nine games, which includes the six-goal effort against the Rangers on April 20th.
• Sorokin made his 19th start of the season and his second-straight appearance. The Russian rookie has a 12-6-1 record, 2.19 GAA and a .918 SV%.
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• Sorokin was backed up by Schneider. Semyon Varlamov was unavailable due to "soreness" per Trotz.
• Oliver Wahlstrom and Braydon Coburn both drew in the lineup for the first time since April 18. Wahlstrom skated alongside Pageau and Beauvillier. The 20-year-old winger logged 14:26, including 3:51 on the power play, had two hits and one shot. Coburn replaced Noah Dobson in the lineup. The veteran blueliner was paired with Andy Greene, totaled 13:06, took one penalty, had three blocks and threw one hit.
• The Isles have only three regulation wins in the last 17 games, but have earned seven wins in that span via overtime or a shootout.
• One positive for the Islanders has been the consistent and dominant effort from their penalty kill. With a perfect 2-for-2 execution against the Caps, the Islanders PK has now killed 26 of the last 27 opponent power plays and has scored a shorthanded goal in that span as well. In the NHL, the Islanders' PK ranks seventh overall in the NHL at 83.3%.
• After going 2-for-2 on the power play on April 24 against Washington, the Islanders' power play went 0-for-2 on Tuesday night. In the NHL, the Islanders PP unit ranks 24th overall (18.1%).
• The Islanders' magic number to clinch a playoff spot is still eight. With regulation wins over the Rangers on Thursday and Saturday, the Islanders could punch their ticket to the postseason.
• The Islanders are 20-1-2 when scoring first and are 9-14-3 when allowing the opening goal.
• On Thursday night, Trotz will coach his 200th game behind the Islanders' bench and his 1,724th total career game coached.
• The Islanders have the second-lowest goals against average in the NHL at 2.29.

RANGERS NOTES:

*Update: Chris Kreider will be a game-time decision while Igor Shesterkin will start in net per Rangers Head Coach David Quinn.
• In the month of April, the Rangers have gone 10-3-2.
• Smith recorded his fifth goal of the season on Tuesday and his second goal in the last four games. The blueliner has tallied 10 points (5G, 5A) through 43 games this season.
• Lafreniere buried his 10th goal of his rookie campaign and extended his point streak to three games with four points (2G, 2A) during that span. The 19-year-old winger has totaled 18 points (10G, 8A0 through 50 games this season.
• With a power-play goal, Zibanejad scored his 20th goal of the season which is tied with Pavel Buchnevich and Chris Kreider for the most goals among the Blueshirts. With the goal, Zibanejad also extended his point streak to four games where he has compiled seven points (4G, 3A) in that span. In his last two games, Zibanejad has totaled four goals. This season, the winger has picked up 46 points (20G, 26A) through 50 games.
• Ryan Strome posted two assists in the win on Lafreniere and Zibanejad's goals. The former Islanders has registered 46 points (14G, 32A) through 50 games this season.
• With an assist on Lafreniere's goal, Adam Fox continued his offensive production as one of the highest scoring defensemen in the NHL. Through 49 games, Fox has totaled 47 points (which is the most among all d-men in the NHL) and leads the Rangers with his 42 assists, which is also the most produced by all NHL defenseman. Fox is riding a four-game point streak with six points on six assists in that span.
• Shesterkin made his 28th start of the season to improve his record to 15-11-3. The 24-year-old Russian netminder has a 2.42 GAA and a .922 SV%.
• The Rangers offense ranks sixth-highest in the NHL with an average goals for of 3.32 goals per game.
• Both special teams units for the Rangers rank in the top 10 in the NHL. Their power play is 10th in the league at 21.6%. Their penalty kill is sixth overall in the NHL at 83.4%.