Game #11: New York Islanders vs New York Rangers Open Thread

A Sunday matinee is on tap for the Rangers today. It'll be the first New York-New York clash of the season as Peter Laviolette's squad welcomes Matt Martin, Maxim Tsyplakov, and the rest of the Islanders to Madison Square Garden. Patrick Roy's team has struggled a bit out of the gate, coming into play today with a 4-5-2 record. The Isles have been bitten by the injury bug as Mat Barzal, Adam Pelech, and former Ranger Anthony Duclair headline a list of key pieces sideline for this contest and the weeks beyond.

As for the Rangers, Sunday will be the debut of the team's new-look forward and defensive combinations. Saturday's practice indicated a massive shakeup by Peter Laviolette. Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad have been split up, the red-hot third line has been scattered throughout the top nine, and the fourth line features a new member. The defensive pairing changes will look more familiar to Rangers fan, as the pairings are those we have seen for the majority of the past few seasons.

Player to Watch: Jimmy Vesey

After a pre-season injury resulted in being placed on long-term injured reserve, Vesey was forced to miss a minimum of ten games to open the season. Those ten games have come and gone, which means that Vesey is back in action for his season debut tonight. Between the start of this season and the end of last season's playoff run, Vesey has missed New York's previous 14 games, and today will be his first action since Game 2 of the 2024 Eastern Conference Final. Keep an eye on Vesey today.

Enjoy the game!