In the opening week of the season, many things are going right for the New York Rangers and their retooled roster.
Their next chance to keep the good vibes going comes Tuesday night, when they’ll seek a fourth straight win and host the rival New York Islanders.
After opening with a 3-0 road loss to the Boston Bruins on Sept. 29, the Rangers outscored the Tampa Bay Lightning, Detroit Red Wings and Utah Mammoth by a combined 11-3 margin. New York is seeking a fourth straight win for the second time since coach Mike Sullivan took over last season after never trailing in Sunday’s 4-2 home win over Utah.
The Rangers are off to a strong start at home after winning 14 times in front of their fans last season and going winless (0-6-1) in their first seven games there. New York ended last season by winning five of its final seven home games and is seeking its first 3-0-0 start at Madison Square Garden since winning the first four games of the 2009-10 season.
New York has seen 15 players register at least a point in the early going, including newcomer Eeli Tolvanen, who has scored in the past three games. Gabe Perreault scored his second goal of the season Sunday. Goalie Igor Shesterkin capped a 28-save showing against Utah with an assist after becoming the first goalie in team history to score during Thursday’s 5-1 win over Tampa Bay.
“I just like how we’re coming together as a group,” said Sullivan, whose team blocked 23 shots Sunday and has blocked 59 attempts during the past three games. “It’s a good feeling we have. Won a couple of games.
“These guys are playing hard. They’re paying the price to win, whether it be blocking shots or winning puck battles, things of that nature. But I’m really excited and couldn’t be more proud of the guys just for the team game that we’re building.”
The Islanders enter their third game in coach Peter DeBoer’s first full season, following two drastically different offensive performances.
After opening with Wednesday’s 2-1 road loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Islanders enjoyed a productive home opener, rolling to a 6-0 romp over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. Six different players scored, including rookie Victor Eklund, the Islanders’ first-round pick in 2025.
Eklund also had an assist and was among six players with a multi-point showing, along with Casey Cizikas, Simon Holmstrom, Matthew Schaefer, Brayden Schenn and Logan Stanley.
The Islanders won big after changing some forward line combinations. Holmstrom scored while skating with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Anthony Duclair. Bo Horvat scored after being paired with Kyle Palmieri and Emil Heineman.
Those performances supported a 37-save showing by Ilya Sorokin, who led the NHL with seven shutouts last season.
“We all know the importance of the divisional games, and you know these are four-point games,” DeBoer said after Monday’s practice. “There are opportunities that you only get so many of, (so) that (when) you get into the last 20, 30 games of the season you don’t want to be looking back at points you gave away, particularly in the division. I talked to our group today; there’s points on the table here early in a season if you can get your team game dialed in quicker than other teams can.”
Sorokin allowed one goal on 54 shots in his two starts against the Rangers last season, when the Islanders swept the four-game season series. Both games were at Madison Square Garden, a 5-0 rout on Nov. 8 and a 2-1 victory on Jan. 29.
–Field Level Media
