The rivalry between the Islanders and Rangers is renewed and then some tonight as two of the best teams in the game right now face off tonight at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers are on some kind of roll right now completing a three game sweep of Southern California and have won 13 of their last 14 games. The Islanders are also plying really good hockey as the Isles are 9-4-1 in that same span.
Without question the Islanders are walking into a hornet’s nest tonight as the Rangers are running on all cylinders. I do expect though that there will be an influx of Islander fans at the Garden tonight and if we know us Islander fans, they will be loud. It has been years since both teams were playing this good simultaneously and there is a palpable buzz surrounding tonight’s game.
There are no lineup changes to the Isles forwards or dmen that defeated the Blue Jackets 5-2 on Saturday night. Jaroslav Halak will return to the net tonight after the Isles were able to get a better performance from Chad Johnson on Saturday.
Tonight will be a legit test for this Islander squad. This is where the veteran leadership of the likes of Johnny Boychuk, Jaroslav Halak and Nick Leddy pay dividends. This is why you built depth up front and on the blue line. Tonight will have the feel of a playoff game, even though it is the middle of January. I’m not going to lie, with the way the Rangers have been playing, getting two points will be no easy feat and I think even a point would be okay. It might help the Islanders that this is the Rangers first game home from the West Coast and normally
teams returning home from a trip out west, come out sluggish in their first game back at home.
Regardless of the outcome this evening, the Islanders have a chance to show that they belong in this race. The Isles need to come out moving their feet, playing physical and take the crowd out of the game early. We all know that the MSG crowd can be loud at times, but if you get a lead on the blue shirts, the building can become as quiet as a morgue or library. While tonight isn’t a do or die situation for either team, it is a chance for the Isles to make a statement that they have arrived and they aren’t going anywhere. As always for more on all things hockey please follow me on twitter at @DanDanNoodles78.
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