Barry Trotz refers to Islanders-Rangers games as a turf war, but this week's home-and-home means a lot more in the standings than in the streets.
First and foremost, the Rangers will be treated as a division rival and Thursday's game is as much about pushing a rival down the ladder, as well as the Islanders moving back into a playoff position. The Islanders (50 points) can move 11 points ahead of the Rangers (41 points) with a regulation win.
"At the forefront of it all is the two points on the line each night," captain Anders Lee said. "Kind of where both teams are making our pushes and getting ourselves into playoff spots."
That's the pragmatic view of Thursday's game, but the Islanders plan on using the rivalry to up their own intensity and rebound from Tuesday's 4-3 loss to Carolina.
"When you play a rival, there's emotions that get injected into your game," Trotz said. "Obviously on our side, [they're] a rival, a hated rival, you get that emotion back in your game. For them, you get the same thing, a hated rival and being back at home after a long road trip. I think it'll benefit both teams and should be an intense ice hockey match tonight."
The Islanders dominated the head-to-head matchups for the past three seasons, including an eight-game winning streak that was snapped on Nov. 21. Overall, the Isles have won 12 of the last 14 meetings between the clubs.
"It's just fun playing those games," said Anthony Beauvillier, who has 12 points in eight career games vs the Rangers. "It gets you pumped up and makes it easier for you to wake up from your nap in the afternoon. MSG is the world's most famous arena, so it's always great coming here and playing here."
