Islanders and Rangers New Rivalry Twist

VIDEO: Dangerous Clash of Islanders vs Rangers! Watch Video Below..

“I’m sort of new to New York,” Vigneault said, “but I’ve been here now three years, and I’ve been through a couple of interesting, fun games against the Islanders.”

It’s hard not to think that this game could be looming as a turning point for the Rangers (17-6-2). They have turned over the puck with shocking regularity over the past month
or so, and their defensive-zone coverage, especially in front of Henrik Lundqvist’s net, has created a plethora of golden scoring opportunities for the opposition. It also won’t help that they’re missing stalwart defenseman Kevin Klein (oblique) and second-line centerDerek Stepan (ribs).

Knowing the Islanders (13-8-4) still carry a bit of a little-br
other chip on their shoulders — likely enlarged by this move to within the city limits — there assuredly will be a ratcheted-up intensity, no matter how the normally half-empty building is divided among the two fan bases.

“I think they’re a really skilled team,” said Lundqvist, one of eight players to participate in Tuesday’s practice. “They move the puck really well. I expect a really fast game, an intense game. I think it’s going to be a great atmosphere — always when we play them it’s a good atmosphere. Obviously new building, so it’s going to be interesting to see how it feels, how it looks.

“But they always come to play, especially against us. We need to prepare for that.”

The Blueshirts were faced with a marquee matchup last Wednesday, when they played host to the Eastern Conference-leading Canadiens. It was supposed to be a battle of the conference’s best, but instead the invading Habs proclaimed their superiority with a 5-1 trouncing, the start of that three-game losing streak that brought the Rangers’ best start in franchise history back to reality.

“If you look at our team right now, the scoring chances that we’re giving the opposition, a good percentage of them are self-inflicted, sometimes with not a lot of pressure around,” Vigneault said. “So I’m very, very confident that we can deal with that and fix that. I see our game slowly but surely taking strides in the right direction, and we’re going to con
tinue to work on it to get it to where it needs to be.”

If it’s not, the Islanders have the firepower to make the Rangers pay. Lundqvist mentioned how much better they have gotten over the past few years, and unprompted, brought up captain John Tavares as “obviously … a big part of their team. It’s always a big challenge for us to go up against them, but it’s also a fun challenge.”

Which is not to say the Islanders don’t have their flaws (looking at you, skilled forwards defending, depth defensemen and goaltending). But the Rangers are the ones with the reas
onable Stanley Cup aspirations, and so it’s their game that will be under the more critical microscope as these teams enter the pressure-cooker of a rivalry that has found itself a new battlefield.

“We’ve had some emotional, physical, high-paced games against this team,” Vigneault said. “That’s what I’m looking forward to [Wednesday] night. I think for our team, it’s at the right time.”