The NY Rangers and New York Islanders are playing at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in a marquee matchup on the NHL schedule and the game starts up at 7 pm ET and will be on the NHL Network and has both teams headed towards the eastern conference playoffs and this could be a preview of a series this postseason.
The Rangers come into the game after a win against the Arizona Coyotes and the game comes ahead of a matchup at home with the Vancouver Canucks. The Rangers have been playing without Henrik Lundqvist while he is dealing with a neck issue after getting hit in the throat with a puck and Cam Talbot has played well in his absence. Talbot is keeping the team in the mix and they are currently third in the metro division behind the Islanders and Penguins.
The Rangers have 33 wins on the season and they have 71 points and are ranked in the top five in scoring and goals against this season. Rick Nash is one of the league leaders in goals and points, while Lundqvist could actually benefit from the rest after the Stanley Cup run last year. The team is ranked 10th in power play percentage and in the top 15 in penalty kill percentage and Nash has 35 goals this season.
The Islanders have been one of the most impressive teams in the league this season and they come in at first in the metro division. The team won last over the Columbus Blue Jackets and they will next play on the road against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Islanders are ranked fourth in the league in scoring this season and they are in the top 15 in power play percentage. John Tavares is leading the team in goals and points, while Rick Nash is tops for the Rangers in those categories.
The Islanders are looking to win their fifth straight game and they are looking to continue their recent dominant stretch over the Rangers. The Rangers are just four points back and the Islanders have won the first three games in dominating fashion and have allowed just four goals to the Blueshirts. The team is looking to bounce back against the Islanders, who have won 11 straight games against division teams. Nash has scored half the Rangers goals for the Islanders matchups and he will be the key for the team on Monday night.
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