It is inconceivable that a rivalry game can generate all the excitement on one side equivalent to watching ice tea brew in the middle of a winter blizzard.
Anthony Beauvillier had two goals for the New York Islanders
In a major failure of leadership and preparation, the New York Rangers were shutout for a second straight game by the Islanders on Saturday night, 3-0.
“Every coach will tell you there’s a certain sense of relief when you make the playoffs,” Islanders head coach Barry Trotz said. “We knew we were in a real tough division and I think we accepted the challenge.”
This was a make or break weekend for the Rangers and obviously head coach David Quinn did as little as possible to generate a game plan.
“We played the Islanders these last two and we’ve got Washington and Boston, so obviously we’re playing playoff teams and teams that have aspirations to win a Stanley Cup,” Rangers head coach David Quinn said. “We need to measure ourselves against them. That’s what we’re trying to get to. So we need to compete.”
That’s just an embarrassing statement.
Yes, the Rangers have a raft of injuries this week, but other teams, Pittsburgh Penguins for example, have been without leading stars for weeks and still are challenging for the top of the East.
The Rangers were effectively eliminated from postseason contention on Saturday.
Semyon Varlamov made 28 saves in the shutout win.
“It’s a great achievement for sure for me personally and I think for this team,” Varlamov said. “This is a team sport, and there’s no way I could do this without my brothers. They work hard for me every game. … I appreciate everything they do for me. This is beautiful.”
The Rangers lost five games to the Isles in regulation, four by shutout.
“They’re built to have a good playoff run, and it’s a good lesson for us,” the Rangers’ Ryan Strome said. “Any time we play these games it shows what it takes. I think there are a lot of good attributes they have that we can learn from.”
Anthony Beauvillier scored twice for the Isles who leaped back into third over the Boston Bruins.
“It’s easy to wake up and play the Rangers,” Beauvillier said. “The rivalry goes back years and years. Playing them at the ‘Coli,’ having Rangers fans and Islanders fans in the building, you can feel the atmosphere. It makes it easy to be motivated and fired up for the games. I really enjoy the Rangers. They’re always big games.”
Can someone send that quote over to Quinn?
Mathew Barzal added a single marker for the Isles.
“As much as you want to get on the score sheet, now that we’re in and we know we’re going to the playoffs, it’s about playing the right way, trying to play playoff hockey the next five (games) here,” Barzal said. “It’s going to come quick. Before you know it we’re going to be in Game 1.”
Alexandar Georgiev made 22 saves in the loss.
“I’m really happy for ‘Varly,’ because Varly is as low-maintenance a goalie as we’ve ever had, and we’ve had some low-maintenance goaltenders, a few of them,” Trotz said. “I’m really happy for Varly, but Varly will tell you it’s a team thing. It says a lot about our team. I think that’s our 10th shutout as a group, and that’s a pretty good number.”
With the current coaching staff in place, it is difficult to see how Rangers fans do not go another generation without seeing a Stanley Cup challenge.
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