Open Thread: New York Rangers vs New York Islanders

Hockey is back.

Even though it’s just an exhibition game, the New York Rangers will be on the ice tonight for the first time since March 11 as they take on the New York Islanders. A lot had to happen for us to reach this point, and the league appears to have a great plan in place to keep everyone safe as play resumes in the hub cities.

If this exhibition game is anything like the four-game series we witnessed during the regular season, these two teams should put on an entertaining performance. Both teams are gearing up for their respective qualifying matchups, so I don’t think we’ll see anyone holding back in this one.

Player to Watch: Kaapo Kakko

Kaapo Kakko had a bit of a rocky start to his first season in New York and that is expected for an 18-year old traveling to a new country and adapting to a new style of hockey. Not to mention, this has been the first “official” break Kakko has had since he finished his draft year with TPS Turku in Finland. It will be interesting to see how Kakko preforms coming back a little more comfortable with his surroundings, and fully refreshed after an extended layoff.

Enjoy the return of hockey!