Leave it to the NHL to schedule one of the biggest draws of either local team on a night when nobody will be paying attention.
Tonight's Islanders-Rangers clash will take a back seat to another battle; of course, that would be the battle for the White House. And even though New York will be a blue state pretty much no matter what, focus on the Blueshirts might be limited, even at the Garden. And that's a shame. Because the Islanders are playing their best hockey of the season, which means they should give the Rangers a pretty good run for their money. The Rangers, in spite of blowing a two-goal lead in remarkable fashion on Saturday, still have the league's best record and the second-best penalty kill.
What to expect tonight? Hard to say. Both of these teams have experience in blowing leads lately, with the Islanders losing three-goal leads in each of their last two games. This may mean a decrease in the rough stuff, as neither Tom Renney nor Scott Gordon is going to want their players taking dumb penalties. That said, look for Mitch Fritz to dress for the Islanders and for him or Nate Thompson to be involved in at least one fight, probably with Colton Orr. It should be an exciting game, one that both teams will get up for.
And for my prediction? 5-2 Rangers. The Islanders will come out strong, but fade as the effect of playing on back-to-back nights starts to kick in. The Rangers, having learned their lesson from Saturday night, will stay all over the Islanders until the final buzzer. The score won't really do the game much justice, as the Islanders will put up their best fight in the third; however, they're just not good enough to compete with a well-rested Rangers team.
Enjoy the game.
Tonight's Islanders-Rangers clash will take a back seat to another battle; of course, that would be the battle for the White House. And even though New York will be a blue state pretty much no matter what, focus on the Blueshirts might be limited, even at the Garden. And that's a shame. Because the Islanders are playing their best hockey of the season, which means they should give the Rangers a pretty good run for their money. The Rangers, in spite of blowing a two-goal lead in remarkable fashion on Saturday, still have the league's best record and the second-best penalty kill.
What to expect tonight? Hard to say. Both of these teams have experience in blowing leads lately, with the Islanders losing three-goal leads in each of their last two games. This may mean a decrease in the rough stuff, as neither Tom Renney nor Scott Gordon is going to want their players taking dumb penalties. That said, look for Mitch Fritz to dress for the Islanders and for him or Nate Thompson to be involved in at least one fight, probably with Colton Orr. It should be an exciting game, one that both teams will get up for.
And for my prediction? 5-2 Rangers. The Islanders will come out strong, but fade as the effect of playing on back-to-back nights starts to kick in. The Rangers, having learned their lesson from Saturday night, will stay all over the Islanders until the final buzzer. The score won't really do the game much justice, as the Islanders will put up their best fight in the third; however, they're just not good enough to compete with a well-rested Rangers team.
Enjoy the game.
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