Rangers at Islanders
THE STORY:
The New York Rangers would just as soon forget their first trip to Long
Island this season. Coming off a one-week layoff after opening the
season with a pair of games in Europe, the Rangers were victimized by
John Tavares' hat trick in a 4-2 loss to the New York Islanders. When
the teams square off again Tuesday at Nassau Coliseum, things have
changed considerably for both teams. The Islanders promptly stumbled to
six consecutive losses and have dropped nine of 10 since beating the
Rangers. They have been limited to two goals or fewer eight times during
that stretch to fall to the bottom of the Eastern Conference and are
the league's lowest-scoring team with 29 goals. The Rangers, conversely,
shook off their 0-1-2 start and enter Tuesday’s clash on a six-game
winning streak.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG, MSG Plus
ABOUT THE RANGERS (9-3-3):
New York can match its longest winning streak since October 2009 with a
victory. The Rangers have scored five goals in three of the last six
games and have outscored their opponents 23-9 during that stretch.
Brandon Dubinsky, who had back-to-back 20-goal seasons, got his first in
Friday's 5-1 home win over Carolina. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has
won four straight games, but he has allowed 12 goals in his last three
at Nassau Coliseum.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (4-7-3): The
Islanders return home after going winless on a three-game road trip that
was capped by a 4-1 loss at Vancouver. Evgeni Nabokov made 32 saves but
he has not won since beating the Rangers on Oct. 15. The Islanders'
only win since that game was a 5-3 home victory over the Washington
Capitals on Nov. 5. Since putting together back-to-back four-point games
against Tampa Bay and the Rangers, Tavares has only six points in 10
games.
OVERTIME:
1. Rangers coach John Tortorella has juggled his
lines, putting Brad Richards between a pair of former teammates in Sean
Avery (Dallas) and Ruslan Fedotenko (Tampa Bay).
2. The Islanders have scored 21 goals in the last four home games against the Rangers, winning three.