By the Numbers (Islanders-Rangers)

So, I hope everyone is looking forward to tonight's game vs. the Islanders in Brooklyn.  I'm sure that the Isles would like nothing better than to end the Blueshirts' six game winning streak and the Rangers would like to pile on their interborough rivals after the 7-1 thrashing they took from the Maple Leafs two nights ago.

The teams have played twice this season with the Rangers winning their season opener 5-3 at Madison Square Garden and then losing 4-2 at Barclays in the beginning of December in a very uninspired game.  The Islanders win was big for them. They got to the .500 mark and got goals from their two big free agent signings Jason Chimera and Andrew Ladd   Both players had been underachieving and it was only the fourth goal for Chimera and the third for Ladd.  In goal for the Islanders was Jaroslav Halak (remember him?) who played a solid game.  There were a lot of reasons for optimism for the the Fishsticks that night.

Since that December 6th match up, the Rangers have gone 20-9-0 for 40 points in 29 games.  The Islanders have gone 15-10-5 for 35 points in 30 games.  They went 7-7-3 right after this win...leading to the firing of coach Jack Capuano. Under new coach Dough Weight they have gone 8-3-2 and beaten some of the league's best (Washington, Columbus & Montreal).   They have tailed off a bit so tonight's game should be interesting.  The Rangers have dropped back into the top wild card spot behind Columbus and Pittsburgh who won their games in hand.  The Islanders are in the thick of the playoff fight...three points behind Toronto who sits in the last wild card spot.

Okay...both teams have a lot to play for.  What about the Islander-Rangers rivalry?  What about those intangibles that drive the Islanders to make the Rangers look so bad even when they are the better team?  Is it a myth or reality?

Historically, it all started in 1974-75 when in only their third year, they eliminated the Blueshirts in the first round of the playoffs on an overtime goal by J.P. Parise.  The teams didn't meet again until 1978-79 when the heavily favored Isles lost in six games to the Phil Esposito era Rangers who went on to lose in the Stanley Cup Finals to Montreal.

From 1980 to 1984 the Islanders made it to the Finals five years in a row (winning four Cups) and in the last four of the five years they eliminated the Rangers. For Ranger fans it was heartbreaking and Islander fans reveled in their superiority.  The next meeting was in 1990 when the Rangers won in five games.  In 1994. in their last playoff face off, the Rangers swept them 4-0 in the first round.  Not only was 1994 the year that the Blueshirts ended their Stanley Cup drought, but it also started the Islanders on their own drought of seven straight seasons missing the playoffs.

And don't forget the Islanders streak of not winning a playoff SERIES in 27 years, a streak that ended last season when they beat the Panthers.   Adding it up, the teams have met eight times in the playoffs, with the Isles holding a 5-3 series advantage, winning 24 out of 45 games.

I took a look at the regular season head to head meetings between the two teams over the last 14 seasons.   Since the 2001-02 season, the Islanders have made the playoffs seven years while missing the post season seven years.   If you believe the hype, the non-playoff Islanders (inferior teams) didn't let that affect them and they played the Rangers even.  Not so.

In the seven years that the Islanders made the playoffs they played 37 games against the Rangers.   The Rangers have a 18-15-4 record for a winning percentage of .540.  Clearly, against competitive Islander teams, the Rangers have been a little better.

In the seven non-playoff years for the Islanders, the Rangers had a record of 25-13-5 in 43 games. That is a winning percentage of .640.   So much for the Islanders ability to rise above their record and beat their bitter rivals.

Notes:

Pavel Buchnevich is sitting tonight in favor of Matt Puempel.  Cue the Vigneault haters to rake him over the coals for this decision.  I guess Buchnevich needs to learn that shooting a puck into the stands against the team with the league's best power play should never happen.

There's been chatter about the Rangers scouting the Kings with the rumored target being defenseman Jake Muzzin.  He shoots left, but is a solid pro who would be a good addition...the question is what does Los Angeles want in return.

Another interesting Players Tribune piece by former Ranger prospect Corey Hirsch. He had some real issues with mental health and is very open about them in the article.    Click below to link:

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