Game Preview: Islanders vs Rangers

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (35-20-6) VS NEW YORK RANGERS (33-24-4)
7 PM | NYCB LIVE | BUY TICKETS
WATCH: MSG+ 2 | MSG GO
LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050AM
The finale of the Battle of New York commences at NYCB Live on Tuesday evening.
The Isles face their cross-town rival after earning their second straight victory as they defeated the San Jose Sharks 4-1 on Sunday evening at NYCB Live. Anders Lee scored two goals and registered an assist while Devon Toews and Josh Bailey also scored. Semyon Varlamov turned aside 29 shots.

The New York Rangers won their third straight game in regulation as they defeated San Jose 3-2 on Saturday night. Jesper Fast scored twice, including the game winner, and Mika Zibanejad also found the back of net while Igor Shesterkin made 44 saves.

MORNING SKATE UPDATES:

• Semyon Varlamov was the first goaltender off of the ice at morning skate and is the projected starter to face New York. Varlamov has made 35 starts this season and received the starting nod for the last five-straight games. Varlamov has a record of 19-12-4 and a goals against average of 2.47 and a save percentage of .920.
  - The Islanders newest acquisition Jean-Gabriel Pageau joined the Isles for morning skate. Pageau was traded to the Islanders on Monday, which was the last day of the trade deadline. The 27-year-old center went on to sign a six-year contract extension on the same day.
  "I think he checks a lot of the boxes that we're looking for," Head Coach Barry Trotz. "Your'e looking for more goals, which obviously he has. You're looking for a right-handed faceoff guy, you're looking for a penalty killer, a power play guy, a late game important situations that type of thing and a high-character, high-quality guy. He knows with a lot of our players. [He played] at the World Championships with a number of them. He roomed with [Bailey] for a month at the World Championships. He fits a lot of the boxes and obviously, knowing that we're going to have him for a long time; our center ice, our depth through the middle is going to be pretty solid."
  - Josh Bailey took a maintenance day and did not participate in morning skate, but will be availalbe to play tonight as confirmed by Trotz.

• Derick Brassard, Cal Clutterbuck and Andrew Ladd attended morning skate. Brassard, who wore facial protection, is day-to-day after taking a deflected shot to the face against Colorado last Wednesday. Brassard is availbe to play against the Rangers. Clutterbuck has been sidelined since Dec. 19 after suffering a laceration to the wrist that required surgery. The winger was placed on LTIR and completed a two-game conditioing stint in Bridgeport before being recalled by the team on Monday afternoon. Ladd was recalled by the Isles on Monday afternoon and will stay with the Isles for the remainder of the season as President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello confirmed on Monday afternoon.
  -
  Rangers projected lineup
  (subject to change as Coach David Quinn won't be addressing the media until 5:30 p.m. today):
  Kreider - Zibanejad - Buchnevich
  Panarin - Strome - Fast
  Giuseppe - Chytil - Kakko
  Lemieux - Howden - Gauthier
  Lindgren - Trouba
  DeAngelo - Fox
  Staal - Smith
  Georgiev
  Lundqvist

ISLES NOTES:

• The Isles captain potted his 18th and 19th goals of the season and had the opportunity to record his first-ever hat trick, but opted to pass the puck to Bailey for the empty-net goal with just over two minutes left in the game. Through 61 games, Lee has 38 points (19G, 19A) and has five points (2G, 3A) in his last two outings. With Lee's second goal of the game, the winger overtook the Isles lead for game-winning goals with six.
  - Toews reached a new career-high in goals as he rifled in his sixth of the season on Sunday. The defenseman also recorded an assist on the night and now has 24 points (6G, 18A) through 61 games.
  TRADE DEADLINE 2020
  WRITTEN COVERAGE
  Islanders Acquire Pageau
  Pageau Signs Six-Year Extension
  7 Facts: JG Pageau
  Pageau, Islanders Excited About Fit
  Isles Acquire Schmaltz From Toronto
  Isles DTD: Clutterbuck and Ladd Recalled
  NHL Trade Tracker
  ISLES TV
  Morning Skate: JG Pageau
  Morning Skate: Derick Brassard
  Morning Skate: Barry Trotz
  Lou Lamoriello Conference Call
  JG Pageau Conference Call
  - Bailey scored his 13th goal of the season to seal the 4-1 victory. The winger has 39 points (13G, 26A) through 61 games.
  - Brock Nelson extended his point streak to three games with an assist on Sunday and has four points (1G, 3A) during that span. Nelson has 49 points (22G, 27A) through 61 games, which ranks second on the Islanders.
  - Mathew Barzal extended his point streak to three games - where he has four assists during that span - and is now one point shy of reaching 200-career points. The 22-year-old center has 199 career points (58G, 141A) through 227 career games, and would become the fastest Islander to reach 200 points since Ziggy Palffy, who did so in 205 games. Through 61 games this season, Barzal leads the Isles with his 52 points and 32 assists.
  - Varlamov made his 35th start of the season - and fifth straight start - and improved his record to 19-12-4. The Russian netminder has a 2.47 goals against average and a .920 save percentage.
  - Barry Trotz recorded his 82 win as Isles coach, passing Terry Simpson for 3rd place on the all-time Isles win list.
  - Kieffer Bellows returned to the lineup and had two shots on goal and logged 12:44 as he skated alongside Josh Bailey and Michael Dal Colle. Bellows was returned on loan to Bridgeport on Monday.
  - Sunday's win put the Isles (76 points) one-point behind third place in the Metropolitan Division, which is currently occupied by Philadelphia (77 points). However, the Isles have one game-in-hand on the Flyers. They are currently tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets (76 points) with three games in hand.
  - On Monday morning, the Isles acquired center Jean-Gabriel Pageau from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a conditional first-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, the club's second-round pick in 2020 and a conditional third-round pick in 2022. Pageau has already recorded career highs in goals (24), power-play points (nine) and game-winning goals (five). He has a total of 40 points (24 goals and 16 assists) in 60 games this season. The 27-year-old center signed a six-year contract extension with the team that afternoon.
  - Andrew Ladd and Cal Clutterbuck were recalled from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Monday. Ladd, who has played two games for the Isles this season and 34 for the Sound Tigers, is expected to stay with the Islanders for the remainder of the season, while Clutterbuck completed a two-game conditioning assignment. Clutterbuck has been out since Dec. 19 with a wrist laceration.
  - Otto Koivula was returned and recalled from Bridgeport on Monday afternoon in a procedural transaction that allows him to be eligible for the rest of the AHL season and playoffs.

Video: Morning Skate: Barry Trotz

RANGERS NOTES:

• The Rangers have shot up the Eastern Conference standings over the past month, going 8-2-0 in their last 10 games. The Rangers (70 points) are still in the playoff picture, as they sit six points back of the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second Wild Card, with three games in hand. The Carolina Hurricanes (74 points) stand between the Rangers and Blue Jackets in the race for the final playoff position.
  - Fast scored his 10th and 11th goals of the season and now has three goals in his last two games. The Swedish winger has 27 points (11G, 16A) and one game-winning goal through 60 games.
  - Zibanejad scored his 28th goal of the season and extended his point streak to seven games. The Swedish center has 13 points (6G, 7A) during that span. Through 48 games this season, Zibanejad has 60 points (28G, 32A) and is second in goals and points.
  - Artemi Panarin registered the primary assist on Zibanejad's goal. The Russian center leads the Rangers in goals (31), assists (52) and points (83) through 60 games this season. Panarin's 83 points are third best in the NHL. With the assist, Panarin extended his point streak to nine games and has 12 points (4G, 8A) during that span.
  - Ryan Strome registered two assists against San Jose and extended his point streak to eight games where he has 11 points (4G, 7A) during that stretch. The former Islander is having a career season with 55 points (16G, 39A) through 61 games. Strome's previous high was 50 points, set during the 2014-15 season with the Isles.
  - Defenseman Tony DeAngelo's 45 points (13G, 32A) through 59 games are tied for the sixth-most among blueliners in the NHL.
  - Shesterkin, the Rangers' rookie netminder earned his ninth win and improved his record to 9-1-0. Shesterkin made his 10th start of the season and has a 2.23 GAA and a .940 SV%.
  - Rangers President John Davidson announced that Shesterkin and forward Pavel Buchnevich were in a car accident on Sunday. Shesterkin sustained a broken rib and will be evaluated in two weeks. Buchnevich is day-to-day.
  - Alexandar Georgiev will start in goal for the Rangers on Tuesday night. Georgiev has appeared in all three Isles-Rangers games this season and is 2-1-0 with a 2.75 GAA and a .913 SV%.
  - Forward Chris Kreider signed a seven-year contract extension on Monday. Kreider has 45 points (24G, 21A) through 60 games.
  - Forward Michael Haley is out indefinitely and will undergo surgery for a bilateral core muscle injury. Haley last played on Jan. 21 against the Islanders. Through 22 games, Haley has one goal.

Video: Greiss, Bailey lead Islanders to 4-2 win vs. Rangers

ISLES VS. RANGERS:

The Isles have gone 1-2-0 against the Rangers this season. The previous three meetings occurred within a nine-day span from Jan. 13 to Jan. 21. The Rangers claimed the first two meetings, while the Isles defeated the Rangers 4-2 at Madison Square Garden in the final game before the All-Star Break. Josh Bailey, Anders Lee, Anthony Beauvillier and Brock Nelson scored while Thomas Greiss made 40 saves in the Isles win.