Islanders: Three reasons game against NY Rangers is must win

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Ryan Pulock #6 of the New York Islanders celebrates his game-winning overtime goal against the New York Rangers.. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

The New York Islanders welcome the New York Rangers to the Nassau Coliseum. With eleven games left on the season, this one is a must-win.

Restoring Confidence

Things have not gone well for the New York Islanders of late. Since putting up two goals in the opening eight minutes of a 3-2 OT win over the Philadelphia Flyers two weeks ago, the Isles just haven’t looked like the same team.

Leggy, lethargic, and disjointed. They just haven’t been good enough. They’ve needed a win for a few games now. And by a win, I don’t just mean in the standings. Of course, they needed that, but they’ve also needed something positive to get them out of their funk. And Ilya Sorokin may have provided that.

His 30 shot shutout against the Flyers kept the Isles in the game and allowed them to pick up an undeserving two points. Sorokin did give up didn’t pack it in. He stood tall and gave his team a chance to win even though they didn’t deserve it. That has to count for something at least on an emotional level.

Sorokin may not be in nets tonight against the Rangers, but frankly, that doesn’t matter right now. The Islanders return home where they are 18-2-2 this season and hopefully feeling a little better about themselves.

Picking up back-to-back wins will go a long way to restoring this team’s confidence and build momentum as they head down the final stretch of the season and towards the postseason. A loss on the other hand could have the opposite effect.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau #44 of the New York Islanders celebrates his goal in the first period against the Philadelphia Flyers. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /

Standings in East

Not to mention what a loss would mean in the standings. With the Islanders recent play, their cushion near the top of the East has completely eroded. The Penguins are only one point bach while Boston is four points back with two games in hand.

Both the Penguins and Bruins are in action today. They’ll face the Devils (7th in the East) and the Sabres (8th in the East), respectively. A win for both – an outcome that is quite likely frankly – combined with an Islanders loss would obviously narrow that gap.

Actually, the Penguins would leapfrog the Islanders thank to the Pens superior regulation win count (21 to the Isles 20) while the Bruins would sit only two points back and still hold two games in hand.

The Rangers, who’ve gone 7-1-2 over their last ten are eight points back of the Islanders and four points back of the Bruins for that final playoff spot in the East. They’re still on the outside of the playoff picture and looking in, but they’ve narrowed the gap between them and the Bruins to just four points.

That’s why today’s game is a must-win. The Islanders are still in a good spot in the division, but a loss could change that.

A win tonight, even if we assume the Pens and Bruins also win, allows the Islanders to keep the distance they’ve already established. And, more importantly, they set up a ten-point lead over the fifth-placed Rangers.

Ilya Sorokin #30 and the New York Islanders celebrate the shootout win over the Philadelphia Flyers. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Right the Ship

A win tonight will certainly help the team emotionally and should restore the confidence they seemingly lost against Philly a few weeks ago. But above all else, it should right the ship with ten games left on the 2021 regular season.

I say should because how they win (assuming they do) is going to matter. They have to start playing as if the games mean a damn, because, frankly, they do.

Over the last few weeks, the Islanders have been sleepwalking their way to a 5-3-0 record. Which is still impressive, but they’ve got to wake up. If they win today it certainly won’t be done on cruise control. The Rangers are playing too well at the moment to let a sleepwalking Islanders squad beat them.

Over their last ten games, the Rangers are 7-1-2. Since a 4-1 win against the Isles on the 9th, the Rangers have gone 4-0-1 with a +11 goal differential. Again, they are playing well. The Isles can’t pitch the same performance they had against the Flyers and expect a win. It’s just not going to happen.

The Islanders are in the most important stretch of the season with three games against the Rangers and Caps in six nights. These next six games will have a huge impact on how the division plays out this year. Getting back on track after a rough few weeks will be obviously important for them. That starts tonight.

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