A Stadium Series rematch. A St. Patrick’s Day Showdown. The first Rangers-Islanders game at the Garden in over a calendar. Points in the standings becoming more and more valuable with each passing day. There were a million reasons to get up for this game and sure enough, it was quite the battle of New York on this glorious Sunday Afternoon. While the Islanders, who are desperately fighting for a playoff spot, put up quite the fight, the Rangers held on and came out on top with another massive win to cap off their busiest week of the year.
1st Period:
With both teams on the second half of a back-to-back, it wasn’t a particularly quick start to things but the Rangers did a great job of sustaining offensive zone pressure early and often.