Rangers defeat Islanders for 5th win in 6 games

NEW YORK -- Jonny Brodzinski scored the go-ahead goal in the second period, and the New York Rangers won for the fifth time in six games, 5-2 against the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

“I think it was a relentless [effort],” Brodzinski said. “We didn’t give them much. There were a few times in the third period there where we had a couple of small breakdowns, but overall, I think it was really a good game for us.”

Mika Zibanejad, Will Cuylle, Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafrenière also scored, and Igor Shesterkin made 25 saves for the Rangers (45-19-4), who won 7-4 at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. K'Andre Miller had two assists.

“You saw in that first period, that was a great start by us,” Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck said. “I thought the second period was really good. Just staying consistent. You saw it all the way up and down our lineup today. Nobody took the game off.”

Bo Horvat scored twice, Brock Nelson had two assists and Ilya Sorokin made 26 saves for the Islanders (29-23-15), who have lost four in a row (0-3-1), including 4-3 in overtime to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.

The Islanders have been outscored 16-5 during their skid.

“I'll say this: I saw a team that played better than us today,” coach Patrick Roy said. “They managed the puck much better than what we did. They’re very fast in transition. I thought they had more energy than us, for some reason.”

Horvat made it 1-0 with a short-handed goal at 14:08 of the first period, scoring from the left face-off circle after a feed from Nelson and Shesterkin caught out of position.

Zibanejad tied it 1-1 just 27 seconds into the second period. After a turnover by Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock along the half-wall, Zibanejad one-timed Jack Roslovic’s feed from above the circles past Sorokin.

Cuylle put the Rangers in front 2-1 at 10:14 with a wrist shot from the left circle after a stretch pass from Ryan Lindgren.

Horvat tied it 2-2 at 13:55, knocking in Nelson’s pass during a netfront battle with Rangers center Barclay Goodrow.

“He was lethal tonight. When he had a chance, you thought it was going in,” Islanders forward Mathew Barzal said of Horvat. “I thought he played a really solid game. I wish my line, some other lines, could have given him some help.”

The Rangers quickly regained the lead at 15:01 when Brodzinski redirected Miller’s one-timer to make it 3-2. Brodzinski was alone in front after Islanders defenseman Sebastian Aho got tangled with the Rangers forward while the latter was cutting to the net.

“It was a good breakout by us,” Brodzinski said. “Kicked it to the middle, (Alexander) Wennberg made a good drive wide and I just stopped at the net. “[Their] defenseman just fell in the corner. Wide-open in the slot, Miller just fired it into me, and just a small deflection.”

Kakko gave the Rangers a 4-2 lead at 2:36 of the third period. He won a puck battle against Islanders forward Pierre Engvall along the wall, skated into the right circle and sent a wrist shot past Sorokin for his 10th goal of the season.

Lafreniere one-timed Artemi Panarin’s feed at 10:42 for the 5-2 final.

The Rangers finished the season 11-1-0 in the second of back-to-back games.

“I liked our compete. The score didn’t go our way in the first period, [but] we came out right away in the second period,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “Under the circumstances of the situation, for the New York Islanders as well, I thought it was really gutsy.”

NOTES: Lindgren left at 15:39 of the second with a lower-body injury after he fell awkwardly with Islanders center Jean-Gabriel Pageau behind the Rangers net. There was no update postgame. … The Rangers have won at least 45 games for a third straight season. … Cuylle also had eight hits in 10:09 of ice time. … Miller has five points in his past two games; he had a goal and two assists Saturday. … Rangers defenseman Adam Fox extended his point streak to four games (five points; two goals, three assists). … Rangers forward Matt Rempe served the last of a four-game suspension for elbowing New Jersey Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler on March 11. … Horvat has six goals in his past seven games. … Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson blocked five shots in 24:22.