Islanders 2, Rangers 1 (SO)
NEW YORK -- Right winger Kyle Okposo scored the only goal of the shootout Wednesday night to lift the New York Islanders to a 2-1 win over the New York Rangers in the first game between the regional rivals at the Islanders' new home, the Barclays Center.
Center John Tavares also scored for the Islanders (14-8-4), who won their third straight and for the fourth time in five games (4-0-1) to move within three points of the Rangers in the Metropolitan Division.
Goalie Jaroslav Halak made 33 saves before stopping all three shots he faced in the first shootout at Barclays.
Left winger Viktor Stalberg scored for the Rangers (17-7-2), who have lost four of five (1-4-0).
Goalie Henrik Lundqvist recorded 36 saves.
The Islanders snapped a scoreless tie by taking advantage of a 5-on-3 opportunity at with 7:38 left in the second. Tavares maneuvered the puck around the right faceoff circle and firing a shot past Rangers right winger Jesper Fast and defenseman Marc Staal and under the glove of Lundqvist.
The Rangers tied it with 1:23 left in the second period, when a shot by Staal ticked off the skate of Stalberg and squirted under the legs of Halak.
The goal by Stalberg yielded a louder cheer from Rangers fans than Tavares did from the Islanders fans. Indeed, the close proximity to Manhattan seemed to generate a home game atmosphere for the Rangers as well as the most spirited crowd of the season at Barclays Center, which drew its second official sellout crowd of 15,795.
The Islanders had the best chances in a scoreless yet entertaining and fast-paced third period. Lundqvist cradled a shot by center Frans Nielsen midway through the period and turned away consecutive point-blank shots by center Brock Nelson and Tavares about 30 seconds later.
NOTES: The Islanders-Rangers game is the first of three New York-New York games scheduled this week. The Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks play Friday, while the New York Giants and New York Jets play Sunday. According to Newsday, it is the first time since December 1988 three New York-New York games took place in the same week. ... The Islanders scratched RW Steve Bernier and D Brian Strait. ... Islanders G Jaroslav Halak returned to the starting lineup after G Thomas Greiss started the previous two games. ... The Rangers scratched RW Emerson Etem (illness), D Kevin Klein (oblique) and C Derek Stepan (broken ribs). ... To replace Etem, the Rangers recalled LW Tanner Glass from Hartford of the AHL.