A historic season for the Islanders! They've achieved a first, dominating both the Rangers and Devils in thrilling series wins.
NEWARK, NJ -- For the first time in franchise history, the New York Islanders have swept the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils in the same season after a 3-1 win at The Rock on Thursday.
The Islanders outscored the Devils 17-4 over the four-game sweep, outscoring the Rangers 14-3.
What's crazy about their sweep of the Rangers is that not once during the season series did the Rangers ever hold a lead.
Bo Horvat had four points (two goals, two assists) in each season series, while Mathew Barzal had five points (two goals, three assists) against the Devils and two points (one goal, one assist) against the Rangers.
Vezina-favorite Ilya Sorokin went 3-0-0 against New Jersey with a 0.99 GAA and a .971 SV%. He went 2-0-0 against the Rangers, with a 0.50 GAA and a .981 SV%.
Backup David Rittich was the backbone in a 2-1 win over the Devils on Dec. 23, making 31 saves on 32 shots. It was a clutch win, helping the Islanders snap a three-game losing streak.
Just four days later, Rittich shut out the Rangers 2-0, stopping all 27 shots that came his way. He then stopped 14 of 16 in a 5-2 win over the Blue Shirts back on Jan. 28.
After this last win over a Metropolitan Division foe, the Islanders improve to 6-1-0 in their latest seven and 11-6-2 overall against their division this season.
It's a big reason why the Islanders find themselves holding down the Metro's third spot as we head into the Olympic Break.