UBS Keys to the Game: Islanders vs Rangers

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (35-31-10) VS NEW YORK RANGERS (50-21-6)7:30 PM ET | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETSWATCH: MSG+2 | MSG GO | ESPN+LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050AM
Thursday night is rivalry night, as the New York Islanders take on their archrivals, the New York Rangers, at UBS Arena.
The Islanders are coming off a 3-2 OT loss against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday. Sebastian Aho and JG Pageau had the Islanders up 2-1 through 56 minutes, but Aleksander Barkov forced overtime with 3:58 left in the third period and finished off a hat trick for Florida's 11th straight win. Ilya Sorokin stopped 39-of-42 shots in the loss.

The Rangers blanked the Winnipeg Jets 3-0 on Tuesday night on home ice. Adam Fox and Ryan Strome (2G) lifted the Rangers to their third-straight win, with Strome tallying his first two-goal outing of the season. Igor Shesterkin stopped all 31 shots he faced, recording his 36th win and second shutout in a row. As a team, the Rangers have recorded three straight shutouts, dating back to Alexandar Georgeiv's clean sheet on April 13. The last time the Rangers were able to post three straight shutouts was the 1972-73 season (Feb. 4-10).
The Islanders lead the Rangers 2-1 in the season series, and the winner of each matchup was the road team. The Islanders won their previous two matchups at Madison Square Garden, tallying wins on Apr. 1 (3-0) and Mar. 17 (2-1) after losing 4-1 at UBS Arena on Nov. 24 with a COVID-19 depleted lineup.
The Islanders won the season series against the Rangers four times in the last six years, including a 6-2-0 track record in last year's eight matchups against their division rival. In 2017-18 and 2015-16, the Islanders swept the Rangers in the season series, with a record of 4-0-0 in both years.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• Although the Islanders are officially out of the playoff picture, the team is looking to finish strong. The Islanders were able to salvage a point in Tuesday's 3-2 OT loss against the Florida Panthers, who are tied for the President's Trophy with 116 points. The Islanders are 14-7-2 in their last 23 games and 7-4-1 in their last 12. They are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games at UBS Arena. "We know we're eliminated and we're playing some good teams," said Mat Barzal. "But we're building a culture here. No matter what the circumstances are… we're going to play hard."
ISLES VS RANGERS
ISLANDERS ARTICLES
3 Takeaways: Isles Lose Late Lead vs Panthers
Ledecky Visits Police and Firefighters
Isles First Responders Patch
ISLANDERS VIDEO
Trotz Pregame: Coming Soon
Player Pregame: Coming Soon
GAME EXTRAS
Talkin' Isles
Isles Season Tickets
Getting Here
Parking
• Barzal leads the Islanders in assists (38) and has tallied four assists in his last five games. He recorded 28 points (8G, 20A) in 23 career games played against the Rangers. Barzal achieved 300 career points on Apr. 1 against the Rangers, in a 3-0 Islanders win. Barzal also recorded a point in the narrow 2-1 victory on Mar. 17 at MSG.
• Ilya Sorokin started in five straight games for the Islanders, with a record of 2-2-1 and a .921 SV% in that span without any games' rest. "I don't see him getting stronger at all," said Head Coach Barry Trotz. "I see him being the same. Good, very good, actually." Sorokin is 25-16-8 with a 2.32 GAA, a .927 SV% and seven shutouts this season.
• Trotz did not reveal who will be in between the pipes against the Rangers on Thursday. Notably, Semyon Varlamov served as backup on Tuesday night, after missing two consecutive games with an illness. Varlamov has been lights out against the Rangers of late, recording four-straight shutouts at Madison Square Garden. Varlamov is 6-2-0 in his last eight games against the Rangers with a 1.01 GAA, a .963 SV% and five shutouts.
• The Islanders penalty kill still ranks fourth in the NHL (84.7%), as they killed 36 of their last 38 (94.7%).
• The Islanders honored Mike Bossy on Tuesday night, in their first home game since the passing of the franchise legend. A video tribute was featured before puck drop, following a moment of silence in UBS Arena.
• The Islanders will host First Responders Night on Thursday, honoring the heroes of the community and welcoming them into UBS Arena. A
special patch designed by Lauren Skura
will be distributed to fans prior to puck drop.

RANGERS NOTES:

• The Rangers (106 points) are riding a three-game win streak and are tied for first place in the Metropolitan Division with the Carolina Hurricanes.
• The Rangers earned their 50th win on Tuesday night, marking the fifth time in their 95-year history they were able to record 50 or more wins in a single season. The last time the Rangers reached this benchmark was the 2014-15 season (53). The Rangers also lead the NHL in comeback wins (26).
• Igor Shesterkin recorded his second-straight shutout with Tuesday's 3-0 feat over the Winnipeg Jets. The Russian goaltender has a 36-11-4 record on the season, with a league-leading 2.01 GAA and a league-leading .936 SV%. Shesterkin also has six shutouts on the season, one shy of Ilya Sorokin's seven this season.
• Chris Kreider is the league-leader in power play goals (25). He ranks third in the NHL in goals overall (50), one of the three players who have scored 50 or more goals this season.
• Ryan Strome scored his 18th and 19th goal of the season on Tuesday, marking a career-high for the former Islander. Strome has 50 points on the season, matching the points he put up for the Islanders in the 2014-15 season.
• Artemi Panarin leads the team in points (92) and assists (70), tying Johnny Gaudreau for second in the NHL in assists. In his last five games, Panarin put up two goals and five assists for the Rangers.
• Adam Fox snapped a 12-game goal drought on Tuesday dating back to Mar. 22. The Norris Trophy winner ranks fourth in NHL defenseman in points (69) and is one point shy from becoming the first Ranger in franchise history to record 70 or more points since Brian Leetch (2000-01). Fox will play in his 200th NHL game on Thursday.
• The Rangers are 5th in the NHL on the power play (25.7%) and went 1-for-2 in Tuesday's game. On the penalty kill, they rank eighth in the league (82.2%), but they remain the only team with a perfect penalty kill in the month of April (18-for-18).