Credit: Tom Horak-USA TODAY Sports
NHL: New York Rangers at New York Islanders
The New York Islanders shut out the New York Rangers 3-0 last night at UBS Arena in what was the first of three meetings between the cross town rivals this season.
Isles goaltender Ilya Sorokin stood on his head from the get-go. Early in the first period Sorokin’s flexibility was put to the test as Rangers forward Julian Gauthier went racing through the neutral zone. He blew by Islanders defenseman Sebastian Aho and put the puck on net with a backhand shot. Sorokin stretched out the right pad and kept the game knotted at zero.
The Islanders looked slow in the first period, lackadaisical on defense, and didn’t push the pace out of their defensive zone. Another instance of Sorokin having to do it all by his lonesome came with just over five minutes to go in the first period. Rangers forward Kappo Kakko skated right around the puck watching defense of the Islanders and Sorokin again had to extend the right pad out to make the stop. The Islanders were out shot 16-8 in that period.
However, Islanders’ forward Kyle Palmeri changed the momentum of the game on just the 12th shot of the game for the Isles. Nearly nine minutes into the second period Palmeri ripped a wrist shot in the slot over the glove side of former Islanders goaltender Jaroslav Halak. Palmeri went on to score an insurance goal in the third period beating Halak again in the slot with a wrister. The puck again went past Halak’s glove side but this time clanged off the crossbar and went down and into the net.
The Islanders were out shot 41-29 but by the end of 60 minutes, they led in the only stat category that mattered. The goals department.
Prior to Palmeri’s second tally, veteran right winger Josh Bailey cut to the net and tipped an Adam Pelech pass into the net. It was the 15 year veteran’s 999th game played in a New York Islanders uniform, good for the third most games played in franchise history. Number two on the list? Hall of Fame defenseman, Dennis Potvin who was in the building last night and promoted his “Potvin Socks!” socks.
The Rangers simply could not get one past Ilya Sorokin no matter how many quality scoring opportunities that they got but perhaps their closest try came off the stick of Rangers defenseman Adam Fox. He nearly pulled the Rangers within one early in the third period but his shot rang off the crossbar.
Sorokin finished the night with 41 total saves and the shutout, his first on the season.
The Islanders improve to 3-4 on the season and sit at second to last place in the Metropolitan Division. Next stop? The Hurricanes in Carolina Friday night.
