The Islanders are not the same team they were a month ago, not by a long shot. And the Rangers just got a look firsthand.
In a game that was a revival of this newly infrequent hatred, one that woke up what has been a rather bleak building, the Islanders showed their necessary desperation and beat the Rangers 4-2 Thursday night at a loud and sold-out Barclays Center.
The dark outlook that existed for the Islanders (26-20-10) after occupying the cellar of the standings for the first three months of the season has lifted with the levity and respect interim head coach Doug Weight has brought since taking over for the fired Jack Capuano on Jan.