Rangers get best of Islanders again, move into tie with Red Wings for wild-card spot
The puck deflects off the head of Will Cuylle #50 of the Rangers and into the net past Ilya Sorokin #30 of the Islanders for a first period goal at Madison Square Garden on Monday, Mar. 3, 2025. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The stakes were higher than your normal Islanders-Rangers regular-season hockey game. Monday night’s winner would gain ground in the battle for a wild-card spot; the sands in the playoff-chasing hourglass might be running out for the loser.
In the end, it was the Rangers who defended better, made the plays they needed, got the fortunate bounces and came away with those precious two points.
Igor Shesterkin made 21 saves to earn his fourth shutout of the season and the Rangers got goals from Will Cuylle, Will Borgen, J.T. Miller and Artemi Panarin to beat the Islanders for the second time in a week, securing a 4-0 victory at Madison Square Garden.
“We played awesome defense,’’ Shesterkin said.
It was the second shutout for the Rangers in two nights, following Jonathan Quick’s 4-0 win over Nashville on Sunday.
The Rangers (31-26-4, 66 points), who won for the fourth time in five games, are tied with the Red Wings (30-24-6) for the second and final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, though Detroit has a game in hand.
“They played well tonight,’’ Islanders forward Bo Horvat said. “They didn’t allow a ton of opportunities inside the high-danger areas. They capitalized on their opportunities, had some fortunate bounces, and we didn’t. It’s no excuse for us.”
For the Islanders (27-26-7, 61 points), the loss ended a two-game winning streak and could prove to be a mortal blow to their playoff chances. They are five points back of the last playoff spot but have seven teams ahead of them in the chase for two berths.
“I don’t know if I’m disappointed with the effort,’’ said Islanders coach Patrick Roy, who pulled goalie Ilya Sorokin for an extra skater with just under eight minutes left and saw Panarin score an empty-net goal to make it 4-0 with 5:09 remaining. “I am disappointed more with the result . . . Not many chances on both sides and they had the bounce and we didn’t.”
Both teams have one game remaining before Friday’s trade deadline. The Islanders will face the NHL’s top team, the Winnipeg Jets, on Tuesday night at UBS Arena. The Rangers will host the No. 2 team in the league, the Washington Capitals, on Wednesday.
“Going back to the Toronto game [a well-played 3-2 loss on Friday night], I thought we’ve played really well,’’ Cuylle said. “It feels like we’re playing a better brand of hockey, more consistent 60 minutes, aside from that third period against Nashville.
“But I mean two shutouts in a row speaks for itself. And I think we’re all making a pretty strong commitment to defense. And obviously, you know, defense wins hockey games, so we’re gonna keep trying to do that.’’
The Islanders will have to decide if they are sellers by Friday. The Rangers, who traded pending unrestricted free agents Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey to Colorado on Saturday and left Reilly Smith out of the lineup for the second straight game because they intend to deal him, appear to have most of their work done already. It’s still possible, however, that they will make a deal to bring in a piece or two to help with their playoff push.
On Monday night, the Islanders thought they had taken the lead shortly after their first-period power play expired. Anders Lee skated out of the right corner and fired a shot from a nearly impossible angle that somehow squeaked through Shesterkin at 11:46.
The Rangers challenged the play, alleging the Islanders were offside entering the zone. A video review determined that Casey Cizikas indeed had crossed the blue line before the puck, so the goal came off the board.
Not long after that, Cuylle opened the scoring at 15:03 on a bit of a fluky goal. Zac Jones’ wrist shot from the high slot hit the shaft of Kyle Palmieri’s stick, popped up in the air and hit Cuylle’s helmet as he turned his head to avoid getting hit. It deflected past Sorokin (22 saves) for Cuylle’s 17th goal of the season.
“I was just trying to get to the net, get in the goalie’s eyes, and I think it just got blocked, and I saw it coming,’’ Cuylle said. “So I just had to get my face out of the way. And whatever happens happens.’’
Cuylle also played a pivotal part in the Rangers’ second goal, a shorthanded effort by Borgen with 44.9 seconds left in the period. Cuylle beat the Islanders’ Noah Dobson to a loose puck just inside the Rangers’ blue line and chipped the puck out just before Dobson checked him hard to the ice. The puck went to Sam Carrick, who drove into the Islanders’ zone and dropped a pass for Borgen, who snapped a shot over Sorokin’s shoulder for his fourth goal of the season.
Miller’s goal at 3:43 of the third made it 3-0.
Notes & quotes: The Islanders dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen for the second time this season. Forwards Anthony Duclair and Pierre Engvall were healthy scratches and defenseman Scott Mayfield drew back into the lineup after three games as a healthy scratch. He logged a team-low 9:04 of ice time.
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
