Surging Rangers knock off Islanders
Rangers keep surging with fifth win in last six games
Jonny Brodzinski scored the go-ahead goal in the second period and the New York Rangers defeated the New York Islanders 5-2 on Sunday.
Mika Zibanejad, Will Cuylle, Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere also scored for the Rangers, who have won five of six. Igor Shesterkin finished with 25 saves.
“Our team is deep right now,” Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck said. “We are getting contributions up and down the lineup. Even when lines aren’t scoring, they are contributing in other ways. Getting the momentum, keeping the puck in the O-zone. If we can continue to do that, I like our chances against anybody.”
Bo Horvat scored twice, Ilya Sorokin made 26 saves, but the Islanders lost their fourth consecutive game.
The Rangers scored three times in the second period to erase a one-goal deficit and take a 3-2 lead.
“I saw a team that played better than us today,” Islanders coach Patrick Roy said. “They managed the puck much better than what we did. They were very fast on transition. I thought they had
more energy than us. … They (Rangers) did what they had to do and that’s why they’re first in our division.”
Horvat scored his second of the game for the Islanders to tie the game at 2-2, but Brodzinski gave the Blueshirts a 3-2 lead as he redirected K’Andre Miller’s shot past Sorokin at 15:01.
“I don’t think we turned the puck over too much,” Miller said. “We were clean, on our breakouts to the neutral zone, getting pucks up to the forwards and letting them get on the forecheck.”
The Rangers took their first lead at 2-1 when defenseman Ryan Lindgren made a sensational stretch pass to set up Cuylle for a breakaway.