All these years, conventional wisdom said that when the Islanders and Rangers play the standings are meaningless. The rationale was that, no matter who was up or down, the rivalry’s intensity was a huge equalizer. That has mostly been true, except for Tuesday night, when the standings meant everything.
With the Rangers at the top and the Islanders at the bottom, the meeting before 15,795 at Barclays Center was all about context. The Rangers dearly wanted to reinforce their status and the Islanders desperately wanted to change situation. It was the Islanders who got what they needed, a 4-2 win that continued their points streak and extended their hope that the season might finally be rounding into shape.