Two in a Row
Could the Rangers Finally Be on a Roll?
Photo: Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick had back to back shutouts against the Nashville Predators and New York Islanders on Sunday and Monday nights. ©2025 New York Rangers, NHL
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN—The New York Rangers hosted the New York Islanders for the second time in a week at the garden on Monday night, as they continue to battle for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Game Notes
Will Cuylle started the scoring off for the blueshirts with his 17th goal of the season at 15:03 of the first, as he deflected a shot by Zac Jones at the blueline. And then with less than a minute left in the period, Will Borgen added his 4th goal of the year from Sam Carrick and Cuylle to give the Rangers the 2-0 lead after one period.
In the second, the Rangers played shutdown hockey only allowing the Islanders to get off 6 total shots in the period. Meanwhile Igor Shesterkin was playing one of his best games of the year.
The big question was whether or not the Rangers could play a full 60 minutes of hockey? And in the third period, they answered that question. Before the game, Head Coach Peter Laviolette spoke about the impact JT Miller has had on the lockerroom saying that he felt JT’s tenacity is starting to rub off on his teammates.
In the third period, JT Miller scored his 16th goal off an assist by Artemi Panarin at 3:43 to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead. And for the next several minutes, the Islanders were unable to get any offensive flow going. With around five minutes left in the game, Head Coach Patrick Roy pulled the goaltender.
And that’s when Artemi Panarin scored his 25th goal into the empty net. In the end, the Rangers shutout the New York Islanders for their second straight win and also second straight shutout 4-0.
Game Analysis
Coach Laviolette’s comments about the mental and emotional contribution of JT Miller on the locker room seemed to have resonated with all the players. There is a deeper commitment to playing defense now and also a willingness to sacrifice the body during the whole game.
The Rangers finished the game with 24 total hits, as well as 22 blocked shots. When the blueshirts are not afraid to check the man with the puck and are willing to go down to block shots—this team is a real Cup contender.
Therefore the only question becomes, “how long will this last?”
What do you think? Put your thoughts in the comments.
Game Stats
Artemi Panarin 1 goal, 1 assist (17:52 TOI) 6 shots
JT Miller 1 goal, 1 assist (18:19 TOI) 2 shots, 1 hit
Alexis Lafreniere and Vincent Trocheck both had 3 hits in the game. And Matt Rempe finished the game with 4 hits.
Igor Shesterkin saved all 21 shots for his 21st win of the season and his 3rd shutout of the year.
Next Game
With the win the Rangers now have 66 points, which technically ties them with the Detroit Red Wings for the final playoff spot, but the Red Wings have one game in hand. Detroit is playing Carolina tonight to determine if the Rangers move into an actual tie for the last wildcard.
The Rangers will play host to the Washington Capitals on Wednesday. Alexander Ovechkin only needs 11 more goals to pass Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record with 894 goals.
Can the Rangers shut Ovechkin down? Will they win their third game in a row? Or can the first place Caps play spoiler to the Rangers playoff hopes?
Stay tuned…