Takeaways: Islanders Drop 4-0 Decision to Rangers 

The New York Islanders were shut out by the New York Rangers 4-0 at Madison Square Garden on Monday night in the first half of a back-to-back set.

Will Cuylle, Will Borgen (SHG), J.T. Miller and Artemi Panarin (ENG) provided the offense for the Rangers, while Igor Shesterkin made all 21 saves for the win. Ilya Sorokin made 22 of 25 saves in the defeat. The loss marked the seventh time the Islanders were shut out this season.

The consensus from the Islanders postgame was that the Rangers, who had the edge on blocked shots 22-12, had a strong defensive effort, stifling their offense through three periods.

“They played well defensively,” Bo Horvat said. “They didn’t allow a ton of opportunities inside the high danger areas, and they capitalized on their opportunities and had some fortunate bounces and we didn’t tonight.”

The stakes entering the matchup were high – with both teams in the Eastern Conference wild card chase – but instead of gaining ground on a team ahead of them, the Islanders dug themselves in a deeper hole after the regulation loss. The Islanders (61 points) find themselves five points back of the Rangers (66 points) and the Detroit Red Wings (66 points), who occupy the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.

“It’s a tough game to lose,” Captain Anders Lee said. “It was a big road game, a lot of importance on it, and we’re not coming out with two points. We have to regroup here and get back at it.”

The Islanders’ winless skid at MSG was extended to five games (0-4-1) and the Isles are 1-5-2 in their last eight games overall against the Blueshirts.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Perhaps the pivotal play of Monday’s game came in the first period, as Lee’s would-be icebreaker was called back after a successful offside challenge. Instead of being up 1-0, the Rangers got on the board shortly after on the strength of a fluky goal. Zac Jones’ shot hit the stick of Kyle Palmieri and floated toward the goal where it banked off Cuylle’s head and in at the 15:03 mark of the first period.

The Rangers doubled their lead to 2-0 with 45 seconds left in the opening frame as Borgen followed up a shorthanded rush with speed, slid to the right circle and fired off a shot that beat Sorokin stick-side.

“The first two goals were bad bounces,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said. “But we didn’t generate… I thought both teams didn’t generate a lot of offense all night long. We didn’t play the type of hockey I was expecting.”

The Rangers maintained their momentum and added to their lead when J.T. Miller’s ripped a wrist shot through Sorokin at 3:43 of the final frame. Panarin sealed the deal with an empty-netter at 14:51 of the third period.

The Islanders’ power play came up dry, going 0-for-3 on the night.

“Our power play struggled all year, and that’s on us,” Horvat said. “End of the day, we have to figure out how to get the job done. We had our opportunities tonight and we just didn’t take advantage of them.”

LINEUP NOTES

• The Islanders dressed seven defensemen, with Scott Mayfield drawing in after missing three games as a healthy scratch. Mayfield recorded 9:04 TOI and two hits.
• Max Tsyplakov drew into the lineup after sitting out on Saturday. The Russian winger recorded one shot on goal in 11:55 TOI, skating on a line with Casey Cizikas and Hudson Fasching.
• Anthony Duclair and Pierre Engvall missed Monday’s contest as healthy scratches.
• JG Pageau was elevated to a line with Bo Horvat and Anders Lee.

ODDS AND ENDS

• JG Pageau and Tony DeAngelo tied for a team-high three shots on goal.
• DeAngelo led the Islanders with 23:33 TOI.
• Alexander Romanov recorded a team-high four blocked shots.
• Brock Nelson skated in his 900^th career NHL game.

NOTABLE QUOTE

Roy on the loss:

“I don’t know if I’m disappointed with the effort, but maybe more with the result. I thought that both teams were playing the same after 40 minutes, not many chances on either side and they had the bounces we didn’t have.”

NEXT GAME

The Islanders host the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday at UBS Arena in the second half of a back-to-back set. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.