Not the same
Rangers-Isles minus an edge
THERE STILL IS juice to the Rangers-Islanders rivalry, a few Rangers said, though it’s clear that playing at Barclays Center isn’t quite the same as squaring off at the Coliseum.
“I don’t know if it has the same feeling as going out to Nassau. That was hostile territory,” Rick Nash said Wednesday. “But I think no matter what it’s Rangers-Islanders. No matter if you play it anywhere in the country or the world, it’s RangersIslanders. There’s gonna be that extra hype to it.”
Thursday’s game in Brooklyn will be worthy of additional anticipation thanks to the run the Islanders have made since Doug Weight took over behind their bench for Jack Capuano. Their 8-3-2 record since Capuano’s firing has given the Isles a realistic chance at capturing the second wild-card spot in the East currently occupied by the Maple Leafs, who pummeled the Isles, 7-1, on Tuesday.
But if the rivalry doesn’t quite feel the same as it used to, it can be blamed in part on the schedule. A decade ago these teams would play each other eight times a season. This year it’s half that, Thursday marking their third matchup of the year.
Ryan McDonagh still feels the rivalry is strong. But again, about Brooklyn…
“Maybe not quite the same atmosphere with the change in arenas, but still, as soon as the puck is dropped it seems it’s a tight-matched game and it always ends up being exciting and down to the wire,” McDonagh said.
Rookie Pavel Buchnevich never got to experience Rangers-Islanders at the Coliseum, and he won’t get to play in Brooklyn this season either. After missing the Dec. 6 Barclays Center tilt with a back injury, he’s set to be a healthy scratch Thursday after a rough night on Monday in Columbus, where he was dropped from the top six after just one period. Matt Puempel will take his place after four games as a healthy scratch.
Buchnevich missed 27 games beginning Nov. 13 with a back injury for which he went through a strength rehab.
The Russian possesses impressive skill, but it’s certainly no crime to sit a 21-year-old with 24 NHL appearances under his belt for a game in mid-February.