Two arch rivals, the New York Rangers and New York Islanders came together at UBS Arena on Long Island for the Rangers’ final preseason game of 2026-27 and the Rangers took home a 6-1 victory.
The Rangers put out a lineup that included many of the players projected to be in for opening night. Meanwhile, tonight was the Islanders’ second-to-last preseason game and they fielded a lineup that was different from the one that they fielded against the Rangers on Sept. 22.
Last season’s regulars Anthony Duclair and Pierre Engvall highlighted an Islanders lineup that also included 2025 second round pick Daniil Prokhorov and 2025 first round pick Kashawn Aitcheson, while 2026 first round pick Alberts Smits headlined the Ranger lineup.
Just four minutes into the first period, the Rangers scored. Pavel Dorofeyev assisted Oliver Bjorkstrand’s first goal of the preseason. The goal was scored after a scrum in front of Islanders’ goaltender Semyon Varlamov.
At the 4:43 mark and on a Ranger power play, JT Miller received a pass from Mika Zibanejad down by the goal line, skated towards the Islander net and roofed a snapshot that beat Varlamov to make it 2-0.
The game became tighter checking the remainder of the first period, while the Rangers outshot the Islanders 10-5.
Tye Kartye perfectly placed a wrist shot in between Varlamov’s shoulder and head at the 3:27 mark of the second period.
The Rangers got a power play at 5:20 when Emil Heineman hooked Braden Schneider. The Rangers couldn’t generate much on the power play and it would be the Islanders who would get a great shorthanded scoring chance. Adam Fox mishandled the puck at the blue line which the Islanders poked free and went in on a 2-on-0. Matthew Highmore skated the puck towards the Ranger net and instead of passing to his teammate, missed the net high right.
Later in the period, Schneider stepped up near the player benches and delivered a clean shoulder check to Highmore, which prompted Matthew Kessel to grab Schneider. The two appeared to fight but Kessel didn’t drop his gloves. Even though Schneider dropped his gloves, both players were given double-minors for roughing and the two teams skated five a-side.
At 13:12, 2023 first round pick Gabe Perreault tipped in a point shot from Gavrikov to make it 4-0. The Rangers had an odd man rush later in the period and Will Cuylle went to the net and shoveled in the loose puck to make it 5-0.
One minute, 32 seconds inside the third period, The Rangers were on the power play and Mika Zibanejad one-timed a pass from Fox to make it 6-0.
Later in the third, a Ranger turnover led to the Isles coming back at them on an odd man rush. Former first round pick Cole Eiserman passed over to Engvall who ripped a wrist shot from the wing that bounced off Shesterkin and into the net for the Isles first of the game.
At 16:54 of the third period, Aitcheson took a 10-minute misconduct and that was the Isles’ seventh penalty of the game, while the Rangers had four.
In the end, the Islanders’ mostly AHL squad was overmatched against the Rangers’ mostly NHL squad. Smits continued proving that he deserves to be in the Rangers opening night lineup with another strong defensive game.
While the score was lopsided and not in the Islanders’ favor, this game served as a good tune-up for veteran Semyon Varlamov, as he continues his recovery from offseason knee surgery, as well as Duclair and Engvall.
The Islanders will be back on home ice tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. when they take on head coach Peter DeBoer’s former team, the New Jersey Devils in what will be the final preseason game for both teams.
The Rangers begin their regular season on Sept. 29 in Boston and the Islanders begin their regular season on Sept. 30 in Toronto.
