ELMONT, NY -- The New York Islanders (34-33-11, 79 points) were on the receiving end fa a 9-2 blowout loss at the hands of the New York Rangers (37-35-7, 81 points) on Thursday at UBS Arena, all but eliminating the Islanders from playoff contention.
"Yeah, I mean, there's not really much to say," Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri said. "We got embarrassed at home against our rivals. That's it, embarrassed."
Here's how the game unfolded:
Facing elimination from the playoff race themselves, the Rangers came ready to play in the first period.
Fresh off a quick transition, Will Cuylle made a drop pass to J.T. Miller, who faked out Marcus Hogberg before handing the puck to Zibanejad for a one-timer. Zibanejad made no mistake, giving the Rangers an early 1-0 lead.
The same trio of Rangers came back to bite the Islanders with just over seven minutes left. Hogberg kicked out a Zibanejad shot to Cuylle, who fought through Ryan Pulock and potted the rebound to make it 2-0.
Shortly after, Noah Dobson took a holding penalty on Jonny Brodzinski, and the Rangers made short work of the ensuing power play. Vincent Trocheck was left alone in front, and the forward made a nifty move before roofing it over Hogberg to extend the Rangers’ advantage to 3-0.
The Islanders made a frantic push in the final minutes of the period, with Marc Gatcomb and Pierre Engvall generating rush opportunities. It was to no avail, though, as Shesterkin stood tall to keep the Islanders scoreless. Following an extended shift, Trocheck and Artemi Panarin took advantage of Alex Romanov’s failed pinch for a 2-on-1, and Panarin tapped the puck into the empty cage to make it 4-0.
The Islanders finished the frame down 15-10 in shots, with the quality chances going to the Rangers by and large.
Despite the 4-0 deficit, the Islanders came out motivated in the second period. Bo Horvat had a premium look from the slot, but Shesterkin caught a piece with the edge of his blocker. In the first four minutes, the Islanders had eight shots to the Rangers’ zero.
The Rangers would find a way to capitalize yet again, as Juuso Parssinen caught Hogberg out of position with an unassuming wraparound to increase the blowout to 5-0.
Seeking his first of the season, Hudson Fasching received a quick pass from Casey Cizikas down low but was robbed by Shesterkin.
With just over five minutes left, K’Andre Miller took a delay of the game infraction, and the Islanders received their first man advantage of the game. Dobson missed wide on an in-tight try, and the Islanders failed to generate much else.
The Islanders would get their redemption power play after Parssinen cross-checked Fasching, and Tsyplakov got on the board with a snipe from below the circle to make it 5-1.
The Islanders outshot the Rangers 20-6 in the period but left with little to show for it.
Both teams played low-event hockey to begin the final 20 minutes, with the Islanders’ fourth line of Matt Martin, Gatcomb, and Kyle MacLean standing out from their sustained offense.
As the game had gone all night, however, the Rangers converted on their opportunities while the Islanders did not. Matt Rempe sent a behind-the-back pass to the front of the net, and Brett Berard whacked it home to further extend the lead to 6-1.
22-year-old goalie prospect Tristan Lennox, who dressed in Islanders uniform for the first time due to Ilya Sorokin’s injury on Tuesday, got the nod after Patrick Roy pulled Hogberg.
Fasching finally got his first goal with 9:10 remaining, as the forward buried a shot off the end boards to make it 6-2.
Fasching’s tally, as well as Lennox’s stay in net, were short-lived. Berard got his second of the period after going five-hole on an odd-man rush, giving the Rangers a 7-2 advantage. Roy elected to reinsert Hogberg and take out Lennox, who only saw one shot.
The Islanders’ woes continued on, though, as Alexis Lafreniere deked and went high to give the Rangers their eighth goal on yet another 2-on-1. Then, with about one minute left, Panarin tried to make a pass from below the goal line and hit Horvat’s skate, which deflected the puck behind Hogberg to make it 9-2.
The end of the game couldn’t come soon enough for the Islanders, who outshot the Rangers 46-32 but came up empty-handed. The Rangers staved off elimination to sweep their crosstown rivals 4-0 in the season series, outscoring the Islanders 23-5 overall.
UP NEXT: The Islanders have a chance to reset against the Philadelphia Flyers during Saturday’s 12:30 matinee.
Kai Russell contributed to this story.