NY Islanders embarrassed 9-2 by NY Rangers, playoff hopes all but extinguished

The New York Islanders had a chance to eliminate their rival, the New York Rangers, from playoff contention on Thursday night, but instead, they were embarrassed on home ice, losing 9-2 at UBS Arena, putting themselves on the brink of playoff elimination.

The Rangers seized control early, taking advantage of Islanders turnovers, netting four goals in the first period, and adding four more in the third. Brett Berard led the charge with his first career two-goal game, while Artemi Panarin also tallied two goals and an assist. Goaltender Igor Shesterkin was stellar, stopping 44 of 46 shots in the win. Maxim Tysplakov and Hudson Fasching scored the Islanders' goals in the one-sided matchup.

With the loss, the Islanders were swept by the Rangers in the regular season for the first time since 2003-04 and only the third time in history (1972-73, 1998-99). The Blueshirts dominated all four games, outscoring the Isles 23-6 over the four games. “There's not really much to say, we got embarrassed at home, against our rivals and that's it,” Kyle Palmieri said.

Before the game, it was announced that goaltender Ilya Sorokin would miss time with a lower-body injury suffered in Nashville. Marcus Högberg allowed six goals on 30 shots before being replaced in the third period by Tristan Lennox, who was making his NHL debut after an emergency recall. Lennox faced two shots, allowing one goal, before Högberg returned to the net. Roy later admitted that inserting Lennox under such circumstances was a mistake, stating, "It was unfair to put him in without sufficient preparation." ​

With this loss, the Islanders (34-33-11) have now dropped eight of their last ten games and sit eight points behind the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot with only four games remaining. Their playoff hopes are now on life support, as one point by Montreal will eliminate them. The Islanders will look to regroup as they head to Philadelphia to face the Flyers on Saturday.