Game #68: New York Islanders vs New York Rangers Open Thread

Less than 24 hours after a wild victory in Pittsburgh, the Blueshirts are back in action for yet another divisional bout. The New York Islanders are coming into Madison Square Garden for a Sunday matinee contest, the second of four meetings of this year’s season series.

Unlike the Penguins squad that will be going through the motions for the remainder of the season, the Rangers will likely have their hands full with a desperate Islanders’ team scratching and clawing for every point it can get. That includes overtime loser points, of which the Islanders lead the NHL with 15 of following yesterday’s overtime defeat to the Ottawa Senators. Today also marks the fourth and final game of Matt Rempe’s suspension, so any rematch against Matt Martin will have to wait until further down the road. Currently sitting one point behind Detroit for the second Wild Card playoff spot, expect Patrick Roy’s squad to throw everything it has at the Rangers this afternoon.

Player to Watch: Igor Shesterkin

After sitting as the backup for yesterday’s affair, Shesterkin will be between the pipes against his longtime friend Ilya Sorokin of the Islanders. After posting consecutive shutouts, Shesterkin was lit up to the tune of five goals against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. While the chips are not currently in place for a Rangers/Islanders playoff series, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities for these two teams to square off in the spring, so today could be another playoff preview. Keep an eye on Shesterkin as he looks to nounce back fro Thursday’s rough outing.

Enjoy the game!