It’s always odd when the Rangers are good heading into a game against a relatively bad Isles team. You never actually feel like the game is a given. But it was an Andrew Copp showcase for this one, as his natural hat trick in the first period set the tone for what would become a 6-3 win. This was one of those games where the Rangers never felt out of control, and the pace was mostly at their will.
The Islanders aren’t a good team, I don’t think we need to reinforce this. But the sign of a good team is a dominating win over a bad team. We see it in football all the time. The good teams destroy the bad, and that’s what the Rangers have been doing since the trade deadline, and the Isles are no different. This one just hits different because it’s the Isles.
Also, and I know Becky is going to torch me in the BSB chat for this, how about a nice little stick tap for Alex Georgiev. He has had a rough season and is in a bad spot with his career right now. But he’s strung together 7 wins in a row, with a .920 SV% and two shutouts in that span.
Rangers 1, Isles 0
The Rangers forced a turnover, and the Isles couldn’t cover the transition. They overloaded Artemiy Panarin, who made a wonderful backhand pass across the slot line to Andrew Copp that even Semyon Varlamov couldn’t stop.
Rangers 2, Isles 0
The Isles forgot Copp existed twice on the same sequence. That’s impressive.
Rangers 3, Isles 0
A natural hat trick for Andrew Copp. Panarin forced the turnover, then the give and go. Copp was actually covered here, but he scored anyway.
Rangers 3, Isles 1
The Rangers couldn’t clear the zone, and Brock Nelson found a lot of open ice as three Rangers missed his coverage.
Rangers 4, Isles 1
Chris Kreider does a wonderful job of staying behind the defense and ensuring they forget he’s there. Once he sees a shot coming on net, he jumps to the front for the rebound.
Rangers 5, Isles 1
Aside from the Isles defense backing up way too much, there isn’t much else here.
Rangers 5, Isles 2
This is a nice passing play by the Isles off the faceoff, but Alex Georgiev likely wants this one back.
Rangers 6, Isles 2
The Isles were pressing, thus the 3-on-1 once the puck left the zone and four Isles were trapped. Ryan Reaves gets the goal on this passing play.
Rangers 6, Isles 3
Lat break by Frank Vatrano on the cutting Josh Bailey. He was wide open, and Georgiev didn’t stand a chance.
Game Flow
This is one of those odd games where the Rangers got up huge and then more or less let off the gas. But they didn’t let off the gas too much, as each time the Isles had any signs of life, the Rangers stepped it up a notch. They did what they needed to do.
Now the fun begins to close out the season. The Rangers have Boston, Carolina, Montreal, and Washington to close out the season. This is where we will see what the Rangers can be in the playoffs. They still have a division crown to contend for, and that Carolina game may be the deciding factor. We will learn a lot about the Rangers over the next week.
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