On Saturday, November 8, the New York Islanders took a short trip to Madison Square Garden to face-off against their ultimate rival, the New York Rangers. The Rangers, desperately seeking their first win at home, were coming off a solid and cohesive team win against the Detroit Red Wings on Friday, while the Islanders were looking to bounce back after a tough loss to the Minnesota Wild the night prior.
Islanders’ head coach, Patrick Roy, shook up his lines for the first meeting of these teams this season, obviously looking for more offense after a rough showing on Friday night.
Artemi Panarin found an early chance for the Rangers just ten seconds into the game, nearly capitalizing on a bouncing puck in front of Ilya Sorokin. The Rangers kept control of the game for the first few moments, creating a tight defensive structure even when the Islanders had the puck.
At 3:51, Emil Heineman took a high-sticking penalty in the Rangers’ zone. The Rangers started their power play with some down-low chances, but Sorokin had eyes on the puck the whole time. A long pass from Igor Shesterkin looked like it was going to lead to an Alexis Lafreniere goal, but he did not appear to have a good handle on the puck.
A giveaway by Maxim Tsyplakov gave the Rangers a Grade A chance, but the home team could not find the back of the net. Mika Zibanejad’s first shot of the night went off the post, much to his and the fan’s dismay. The Rangers had a fire lit under them though and continued to pepper Sorokin with attempts.
The pace of the game was fast and aggressive through the first ten minutes of the matchup.
A stretch pass up ice from Kyle Palmieri found Heineman on the right boards. A quick pass over to Bo Horvat easily found the back of the net, giving the Islanders the first goal of the evening.
The Islanders controlled the remainder of the period: creating long shifts for the Rangers and some good chances of their own.
At the tail end of the period, yet another odd-man rush from the Islanders sent the puck from Anthony Duclair to Jonathan Drouin, whose forehand-backhand play drew Shesterkin out of position. The Islanders’ second goal of the night went right through the five hole.
Both teams came out of the gate strong to start the second, though neither kept the puck under control for long. Shesterkin and J.T. Miller attempted to catch the Islanders on their long second period change but Miller fumbled the play.
The Islanders continued to exert pressure on the Rangers for much of the first half of the frame. Through the last nine minutes of the first period and first ten of the second, the Rangers only managed three shots.
As the Rangers finally earned some momentum, Sam Carrick was taken down by Tony DeAngelo, giving the home team their second power play. The Rangers spent much of the first minute of the advantage passing the puck, looking for a clean shot. The Rangers managed only three shots on the power play, but did continue the momentum following the penalty’s expiration.
With 3:06 remaining, Conor Sheary hooked Matthew Schaefer, giving the Islanders their first power play of the evening. The Rangers controlled the early moments of the penalty kill. Despite having a good structure and a few chances, the Islanders were struggling to get the puck past Shesterkin.
A great play along the boards by Mat Barzal sent the puck over to Horvat. In front of the net, Drouin handled the puck and drew all eyes to him, before expertly back-passing to Horvat, who gave the Islanders a three-goal lead. Of the pass from Drouin, Horvat said that he was thinking “what are you doing,” but credited Drouin with the great heads-up play.
HORVAT X2! pic.twitter.com/nsBXbyFVVy
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) November 9, 2025
The Rangers continued to struggle in the opening minutes of the third period. About four minutes in, the Rangers finally found some offense, but that was short lived as Noah Laba took a hooking penalty against Calum Ritchie at 4:44. The Islanders were unable to convert on this advantage.
The home team did more offensively following the penalty than they had in the second period. However, still scoreless, the Rangers’ goaltender skated to the net with just under five minutes remaining.
The Rangers managed a few shots on net on the six-on-five. A timeout gave the Rangers some rest and a bit of life, but they still struggled to get a tally on the board.
A poor play in the Islanders’ end led to the fourth goal for the Islanders, scored by J.G. Pageau.
With 30 seconds remaining in the game, another odd-man rush found the Rangers flat-footed, allowing Anders Lee to score on Shesterkin on a pass from Pageau.
The Islanders had the edge in almost every aspect on Saturday night, but especially in net. Despite the 15 shots on net in the third period for the Rangers, and 30 total shots, Sorokin made excellent saves and earned his first shutout of the season. The difference was “night and day” from Friday’s showing against the Wild for the Islanders, said Horvat. Both Horvat and Sorokin credited the defense with being strong, solid, and physical during the matchup.
The Rangers remain winless at home to start their centennial season, allowing the Islanders their first win at MSG since 2022, exactly three years to the day.
The New York Rangers and New York Islanders are both back in action on Monday, November 10. The Rangers will once again look for their first home win against the Nashville Predators while the Islanders head to the Prudential Center for their second game in their seven-game road trip against the New Jersey Devils. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. for both games.
