Most teams look forward to April and beyond for their most meaningful games. The Islanders, on the other hand, play Game 1 of their annual six-game "playoff" against the Rangers tonight. It's not a stretch to say that these rivalry games can save a season, particularly for a subpar team. For example, the Rangers didn't make the playoffs in 2003-04, but did beat the Islanders six times in six games. The 2009-10 Islanders obviously aren't going to be anywhere near the playoffs this year, so a good showing against the Rangers would do a lot to please their fans, who are losing patience after nine losses in ten games.
Both the Rangers and Islanders are playing similarly to their counterparts from last season. The Rangers have jumped out to the third-highest point total in the NHL so far in this young season. The Islanders, on the other hand, are blowing third-period leads left and right, but at least they're competing on most nights and have taken some of the league's best teams (Boston, Montreal, Pittsburgh, Washington) to overtime. We all know how last year turned out - the Isles stopped blowing leads and simply began getting blown out every night, while the Rangers slowed dramatically off their hot start, fired Tom Renney, then blew a 3-1 series lead over Washington. In short, this writer isn't sure what to make of either team just yet.
One unfortunate thing about tonight's game is that we aren't likely to see the physical play and fighting that has made this rivalry so much fun over the years - and the absence of which has made this rivalry much less fun in recent years. The Islanders simply don't have the toughness to match up with the likes of Donald Brashear. Perhaps we'll see some fights involving middleweights, but it's not likely. Add in the trend of Rangers fans taking over the Coliseum when the Rangers play there, and things suddenly don't look too promising for the Islanders.
That said, these are games both teams routinely get up for. Nobody takes anything for granted when the Rangers meet the Islanders. Even when there's nothing to play for, there's everything to play for. Here's hoping tonight's action reflects that sentiment.
One last note about tonight's game - for the first time in the NHL, John Tavares and Michael Del Zotto face off. These former teammates with the Oshawa Generals and London Knights are the early front-runners for the Calder Trophy, and it should be interesting to see how they play against one another.
NOTE: A big thank-you goes out to Zach for holding down the fort while my wife and I welcomed the newest addition to our family. And thanks to the NHL Network's non-stop repeats of NHL On The Fly for keeping me company during 3 AM feedings.
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