Game Preview: Islanders at Rangers

NEW YORK ISLANDERS AT NEW YORK RANGERS
7PM | MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
WATCH: MSG+2 | MSG GO | NHLN | TVAS | NHL.TV
LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050AM
What better way to kick off the 2020-21 season then a passionate rivalry game between the New York Islanders and the New York Rangers?

The Islanders open their 2020-21 campaign at Madison Square Garden against their long-time crosstown rival on Thursday, Jan. 14. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. The season opener marks the first of eight meetings between the Islanders and Rangers in this year's 56-game regular season. Due to the intricacies and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, no team in the NHL had an exhibition game prior to starting this season.
The last meeting between the Islanders and Rangers was on July 29 in an exhibition game prior to the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Islanders defeated the Blueshirts with a 2-1 victory. Anthony Beauvillier and Devon Toews found the back of the net for the Islanders while Filip Chytil scored for the Rangers.
Following the exhibition game, the Islanders went on a run to Eastern Conference Final, where they lost in Game 6 to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the eventual Stanley Cup champions. The Rangers were swept in three games in their best-of-five series against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Video: New York Islanders 2021 Season Trailer

This year's realigned - and fiercely competitive - East Division is made up of the Islanders, Rangers, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals. The Islanders will face each team eight times. The Islanders and Rangers will face off three times in the first 13 games of the season and five times in the last stretch of 16 games of the season, but will not meet for nearly two months in between.
"There's nothing better in sports, in my opinion," Matt Martin said of the rivalry. "[Having played] for the [Toronto Maple Leafs] and playing [against] Montreal, nothing ever felt quite like an Islander-Ranger game. To me, it's the best. We've been off a little while, so to kick it off right into 100 is going to be a lot of fun. The emotional aspect of the game, I don't think will be lacking. We're going to be pulled into the fight right away - like Trotz likes to say - against our biggest rival. They're a good hockey game so we've got to be ready for them. We're excited to get this thing going."

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• The Islanders offseason featured a few different roster changes. On Oct. 11, 2020, the Islanders acquired A.J. Greer from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Kyle Burroughs. The following day on Oct. 12, the Islanders acquired the Colorado Avalanche's second-round selections in the 2021 and 2022 NHL Drafts, in exchange for defenseman Devon Toews. On Nov. 25, the Islanders announced that defenseman Johnny Boychuk's came to an end due to an eye injury suffered during the 2019-20 regular season. On Dec. 11, The Islanders acquired forward Dmytro Timashov from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for future considerations.
• For signings, the Islanders signed former Calgary Flames forward Austin Czarnik to a two-year deal on Oct. 13. On Nov. 4, defenseman Ryan Pulock avoided an arbitration hearing as he re-signed with the team for two more years. On Jan. 11, Mathew Barzal agreed to terms on a new three-year deal with the team, while the Islanders re-signed forward Matt Martin for four years and defenseman Andy Greene to a one-year deal.
• This will be the first full season with the Islanders for Greene and forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who the Islanders acquired, from New Jersey and Ottawa respectively, within a week of one another last February (2020) during the NHL Trade Deadline.
• Without the return of Toews or Boychuk, the Islanders blueline is expected to look different this season. Nick Leddy and Scott Mayfield, who each lost a d-partner are expected to be paired together. Noah Dobson, who was a rookie last season, is expected to take on a larger role this season. During training camp, Dobson and Greene, the youngest and oldest blueliners, respectively.
• The Islanders will have a new face between the pipes with rookie Ilya Sorokin. The 25-year-old Russian netminder is expected to make his North American debut this season after spending seven seasons in the KHL. Sorokin went 134-64-22 in 244 regular-season games in the KHL with a 1.70 GAA, a .930 SV% and 44 shutouts. He was 50-17 in the playoffs with a 1.37 GAA, a .940 SV% and 16 shutouts and a KHL title.
• Semyon Varlamov will get the starting nod in net for the Islanders against the Rangers as confirmed by Head Coach Barry Trotz.
• To start the season, the Islanders have placed forward Michael Dal Colle on IR with an undisclosed injury.
• The Islanders taxi-squad includes; Kieffer Bellows, Czarnik, Otto Koivula and Jakub Skarek. All players from the taxi squad are eligible to play for the Islanders.
• Trotz is entering his third season as the Islanders head coach. Trotz has earned a record of 83-50-70 through 150 regular season games on Long Island.
• In season openers, the Islanders are 12-24-11. Over the last seven years, the Islanders have gone 3-3-1 on opening night.

RANGERS NOTES:

• The Rangers had a busy offseason. For starters, the Rangers were awarded the first-overall pick at the 2020 NHL Draft and selected the highly-touted center Alexis Lafrenière, who was also named to the Rangers 2020-21 roster. Defenseman K'Andre Miller also cracked the Blueshirts' roster as a 20-year-old rookie.
• The Rangers re-signed RFAs; forwards Phillip Di Giuseppe, Gabriel Fontaine, Ryan Strome and Brendan Lemieux, defensemen Tony DeAngelo and Darren Raddysh and goaltender Alexandar Georgiev.
• The organization signed six free agents on Oct. 9, 2020 including; forwards Kevin Rooney from New Jersey, Colin Blackwell from Nashville, Anthony Greco and Jonny Brodzinski from the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League, Anthony Bitetto and goaltender Kieth Kinkaid from Montreal. The Rangers also signed defenseman Jack Johnson, who had spent two previous seasons playing in Pittsburgh.
• Morgan Barron, Bitetto, Colin Blackwell, Libor Hajek, Kinkaid, and Matthew Robertson have been assigned to the Rangers' taxi squad.
• The Rangers goalie tandem will feature a new tandem this season since the departure of Henrik Lundqvist during the offseason. This year's tandem includes two young Russian netminders; 24-year-old Georgiev and 25-year-old Igor Shesterkin.
• Rangers Head Coach David Quinn confirmed that Shesterkin will start against the Islanders on Thursday. 23.
• *Updated: Mika Zibanejad will suit up against the Islanders per Coach Quinn's media availability ahead of the season opener. The center and last season's leading goal scorer for the Rangers (41 goals and 75 points in 57 regular season games) participated in a full practice Monday for the first time since testing positive for COVID-19 prior to training camp.
• Quinn also confirmed that Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Jacob Trouba and Artemi Panarin will be alternate captains this season.
• This will be Quinn's third season as the head coach of the Rangers. Quinn has compiled a record of 69-64-19 through 152 regular season games.