Islanders' playoff chances dimming as Rangers win in a rout at UBS Arena
Matt Rempe of the Rangers celebrates his second-period goal against Ilya Sorokin of the Islanders at UBS Arena on Tuesday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
February 25, 7:30 PM ET
The seven-game winning streak that pumped hope into the Islanders’ longshot playoff hopes is a distant memory. There are four games left before the NHL trade deadline on March 7 and president/general manager Lou Lamoriello may be the last person standing whose immediate reaction is anything other than the team should sell, sell, sell and try to retool for the future.
“Honestly, I don’t think anyone here really thinks about that,” defenseman Adam Pelech said. “You’ve got to take it one day at a time. We’re going to do everything we can to turn this thing around and start winning some games.”
But what else to think after the Islanders lost 5-1 on Tuesday night at UBS Arena in a must-win game against the rival Rangers with both teams hoping to squeeze through a crowded field and secure an Eastern Conference wild-card berth?
They allowed two goals to fourth-liner Jonny Brodzinski and another to his linemate Matt Rempe as the Rangers scored five goals on their first 10 shots against Ilya Sorokin through two periods, at least three coming on tips or deflections.
“It was tough goals,” said Sorokin, who exited after the second period as rookie Jakub Skarek mopped up in his second NHL appearance. “But I should play better. I tried to find the puck. It was hard today. I tried to play aggressive but it did not help me.”
The Islanders (25-25-7), who have lost four straight and five of six, are now seven points behind the Blue Jackets for the second wild-card spot with five teams between the two. That includes the Rangers (29-25-4), who face the Islanders again on Monday night at Madison Square Garden, and the Bruins, who host the Islanders on Thursday night.
The Islanders had moved within four points of a playoff spot with a game in hand and just two teams above them in the standings after a 3-2 road overtime win against the Lightning on Feb. 1 for their seventh straight victory.
“The next game is huge,” defenseman Ryan Pulock said. “We’re fighting for our life here.”
Still, coach Patrick Roy and his players remain optimistic.
“We had a really good start, we had a couple of good looks,” Roy said. “We could have done maybe a little better job getting in front of [Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin] and taking his eyes away from the puck. But I thought we played a good game.”
Yet the Islanders inability to finish despite a 37-18 shot advantage plus some sloppy work in the defensive zone — the Scott Perunovich-Pulock pairing was on the ice for four of the goals against — should be a harsh slap of reality to the organization.
“In front of the net we weren’t able to get some blocks and take care of some of their sticks,” Pulock said. “It felt like one of those nights where pucks toward the net were either hitting one of us or finding their way in.”
Roy opted to keep Perunovich in the lineup and make core defenseman Scott Mayfield a healthy scratch just one game after returning from a four-game absence for a lower-body injury in favor of the speedier Adam Boqvist.
The Rangers wound up playing two defensemen short with K’Andre Miller exiting in the second period and Jericho’s Adam Fox heading to the team’s room in the third period.
Defenseman Alexander Romanov did bring the Islanders within a 1-1 tie at 8:19 of the first period. But Brodzinski scored the next two to end the period and Shesterkin started the second period with several acrobatic saves, including robbing Pelech on a wide-open look from the left at 3:04 with the puck coming off the end wall. Then, Shesterkin denied Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Brock Nelson on strong shorthanded chances.
Notes & quotes: Islanders defenseman Mike Reilly (heart condition/long-term injured reserve) was a full participant in the team’s morning skate, marking the first time he’s gone through contact drills since suffering a concussion on Nov. 1. There’s still no timetable for his potential return . . . The Islanders placed fourth-liner Matt Martin on injured reserve with a lower-body issue. That frees a roster spot to potentially activate defenseman Noah Dobson (lower body), who is eligible to come off LTIR.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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