Game Preview: Islanders vs Rangers

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (22-18-13) VS NEW YORK RANGERS (35-16-3)

3 PM | METLIFE STADIUM 

WATCH: ABC | ESPN+

LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050AM

The stage is set at MetLife Stadium for the New York Islanders to take on the New York Rangers for Sunday’s Stadium Series matchup. 

The Islanders are on a two-game winless skid (0-1-1), most recently picking up a point in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday. In a rare stretch of four days between games, the Islanders utilized four consecutive practice days to gear up for Sunday’s contest.

“It’s a big opportunity to hammer out some things we need to work on,” Anders Lee said. “It’s a luxury to get those practices in, we don’t get that in our calendar often. It’s a huge opportunity to put some great work in and feel good going into Sunday.” 

The Rangers won their sixth straight game on Thursday night, topping the Montreal Canadiens in a high-scoring 7-4 contest. Chris Kreider registered his sixth career hat trick to lead the way in the victory, while Adam Fox had a four-assist outing. With the win, the Rangers (73 points) were able to add cushion to their first-place status in the Metropolitan Division. 

The Islanders (57 points) are looking to keep pace in the playoff picture. The Isles are five points back of the Detroit Red Wings (62 points) for the second wild card, after the Red Wings beat the Calgary Flames 5-0 on Saturday. 

The Islanders and Rangers met for the first time in an outdoor setting on Jan. 29, 2014 at Yankee Stadium where the Rangers came out on top 2-1. In the 41 intervening games since then, the Islanders boast a record of 27-13-1. 

Though the experience of an outdoor game will be memorable for the whole team and Head Coach Patrick Roy, the focus remains on earning two points. 

“I want us to play a solid game, that’s what I want to see from our team,” Roy said. “To play a sound game offensively and defensively and a smart game, that’s what I’m looking forward to.”

ISLANDERS NOTES

- Mathew Barzal is riding a six-game point streak with eight points (3G, 5A) over that span. The 26-year-old winger leads the Islanders with 56 points (15G, 41A) in his seventh season with the team and he has racked up 33 points (9G, 24A) against the Rangers through 27 career appearances. 

- Kyle Palmieri tied a career-high six-game point streak with a power-play goal against the Kraken on Tuesday night. The veteran winger collected seven points (4G, 3A) over the span of his point streak. 

- The Islanders penalty kill fended off two penalties in Tuesday’s game, including a 4-on-3 in overtime to keep the extra frame scoreless. Though their shorthanded unit ranks 32nd in the league (71.7%), the Islanders are looking to replicate the success they found last season, where their penalty kill finished second in the NHL (82.2%) at the end of the 2022-23 season. 

“We’ve been good in the past and we know that we’re very capable penalty killers,” Cal Clutterbuck said. “We’re looking to make sure that from here on out, we kill as many penalties as possible, especially the big ones in big moments.” 

- Hudson Fasching participated in his third straight practice on Saturday, but is still listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, per Roy. 

- Noah Dobson has 55 points (7G, 48A) through 53 games. He is the first defenseman to record 55 points since Mark Streit led the Islanders with 56 in 2008-09. Dobson’s 55 points mark just the 20th time an Islanders defenseman has hit the 55-point mark. Denis Potvin has accounted for 11 of the other 19 times an Isles d-man has recorded 55 points. 

- Ryan Pulock (179 career points) can move into sole possession of eighth place on the Isles’ all-time scoring list for defensemen with his next point. He’s currently tied with Mark Streit.

RANGERS NOTES

- Prior to their six-game win streak, the Rangers recently went through their most significant slump of the season, going 11-12-2 from Dec. 5 – Jan. 26, though they retained their first-place status in the Metropolitan Division over that span. The Rangers (73 points) have an eight-point lead over the second-place Carolina Hurricanes (65 points). 

- The Rangers took a major hit on the injury front, as Blake Wheeler (LTIR, lower-body) was ruled out for the regular season after he was injured in the first period of Thursday’s 7-4 win against the Canadiens. He was helped off the ice on a stretcher and did not return. Wheeler has 21 points (9G, 12A) through 54 games in his 17th NHL season and first with the Rangers. 

- Matt Rempe was recalled from the Hartford Wolf Pack on Friday. The 21-year-old forward could make his NHL debut in Sunday's Stadium Series against the Islanders, which would make him the first player to make his NHL debut in an outdoor game. He has 12 points (8G, 4A) through 43 games with Hartford this season.

- The Rangers sport a perfect 4-0-0 record in outdoor games and the Islanders stand in their way of becoming the only team in NHL history to win five straight outdoor contests. 

- Tyler Pitlick cleared waivers on Wednesday and was assigned to Hartford. The veteran center has four points (1G, 3A) through 34 games this season. 

- Artemi Panarin leads the Rangers across the board in goals (31) assists (40) and points (71) in his fifth season with the team. He ranks sixth in the NHL in points. 

- The Rangers’ penalty kill (83.6%) and power play (25.6%) each rank fifth in the NHL.