Andrew Theodorakis/New York Daily News

Andrew Theodorakis/New York Daily News

The Islanders come to town tonight, and those are always fun nights. Even though they stand no chance of making the playoffs, they always show up for a fight against the Rangers. Goaltending is a big issue on the island, and the Isles have the worst goaltending in the league. Ignoring GAA, the best Isles goalie is starting today (Evgeni Nabokov) and he sports a woeful .900 SV%. If there was ever a team to build scoring confidence on, it’s the Isles.

The Isles run an aggressive 1-2-2 forecheck and a 1-1-3 lock depending on the score, which they use to counter other teams mistakes. In the defensive zone, the Isles play man-on-man, so expect our defense to get pressured along the blueline. Look for blown coverages, as this Isles team is still a bit raw on defense. On special teams, the Isles run a 1-3-1 power play and a hybrid penalty kill.

Rangers Lineup (unconfirmed):

Rick Nash-Derek Stepan-Mats Zuccarello
Chris Kreider-Derick Brassard-Carl Hagelin
Brad Richards-J.T. Miller-Benoit Pouliot
Brian Boyle-Dom Moore-Derek Dorsett

Ryan McDonagh-Dan Girardi
John Moore-Anton Stralman
Michael Del Zotto-Justin Falk

Henrik Lundqvist gets the start.

Scratches: Marc Staal (concussion), Taylor Pyatt (healthy)

Game time is 7pm tonight on MSG. Don’t forget to check out our Rangers Tickets link for deals to attend games.

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