Islanders vs. Rangers B2B News: Do that again.

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The Islanders met a moribund rival and soundly defeated the Rangers, who logged their fewest shots ever in the history of this derby rivalry. That team over there looked to be sleepwalking, outside of a few dangerous chances that the Isles maddeningly conceded. Maybe it was a bit of numbed shock in reaction to Artemi Panarin being held out of the lineup awaiting a trade, but the Islanders need to jump on this again in the rematch tonight at the World’s Most Self-Promoting Arena.

The newcomers did fine, with Ondrej Palat hilariously riding a fountain of youth (for one night at least) on his way to first star (and Iron Mask) of the game. Carson Soucy brought the Stable Veteran Presence and thew his body around a bit.

They get to do it again tonight, and maybe even watch Matt Rempe trip over himself again.

First Islanders Goal picks go here.

Islanders News​

• Jenny recaps: The score could’ve been even more lopsided, though the Isles went through one disturbing stretch of allowing Grade A chances. [LHH]
• More takeaways: Good debuts and a welcome return for Ryan Pulock as they “ease past” the Smurfs. [Isles | NHL]
• “Crushing…domination,” give me more, more. [Post]
• The former Devil and former Ranger discuss why they were happy to change teams but not homes. [Newsday]
• Palat enjoyed his new linemates (and probably discovered Simon Holmstrom’s skill, too) and the Iron Mask, while Anders Lee said, “We woke up [as] a better team today.” [Isles]
• Palat recalls the tough playoff bouts with the Islanders, and is happy to see ol’ teammate Jonathan Drouin, too. [Isles]
• And Soucy, he’s…big…and strong. [Isles]
• Mathieu Darche’s moves reflect belief in his currently playoff-holding squad, one he said he wanted to reward. [Newsday | Isles | Athletic]
• Prospect Report: Kvasnicka and Nurmi continue to roll. [Isles]
• First Kipper & Bourne talk for an hour about how the Leafs need to blow it up, but then right here they talk to Cal Clutterbuck, who’s been an excellent analyst on MSG. [YouTube]

Post-game availabilities with Patrick Roy, Simon Holmstrom, Ryan Pulock and Ondrej Palat:

Elsewhere​

Just two other games last night (but 15 tonight!), including the Blue Jackets helpfully regulation-ing the Flyers, and the Senators being the latest to beat the Avalanche.

• Erm, whatever the Rangers’ goal was last night, they did not achieve it. [Post]
• It seems Panarin’s played his last game in red pants. [NHL | ESPN]
• The Canadiens cannot figure out their goalie situation so they’ve fired their goalie coach. [TSN]
• Victor Hedman, who’s even older than Palat, is close to returning for the Lightning. [NHL]
• Bourne: After going winless over a five-game homestand for the first time since the Harold Ballard, Chuck Norris Division era, the terrible “Tower of Terror” Leafs should be sellers, but they need to answer some big questions first. [Sportsnet]

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