NEW YORK _ 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 the 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.
John Tavares' power play goal at 11:13 of the third period gave the Islanders their third and pivotal two-goal lead as his team won for the fourth time in five games (with an overtime loss in the other one).
The defeat did not damage the Rangers' season but it was not without cost. Rick Nash left in the second period with a lower-body injury and did not return. Matt Puempel was injured in the first and also did not come back.
"To me, they're the same team they've always been," Alain Vigneault said of the Islanders before the game. "They're a hard-working team where their (defensemen) jump up in the attack. They put a lot of pressure on the opposition."
The Rangers coach could not have been more prescient. Scott Mayfield, the defenseman who began the day in Bridgeport and was called up on an emergency basis because the team-wide flu bug nipped Johnny Boychuk, fired a slap shot from the right circle to score at 7:03 of the first period.
Being fair, it should be said that everything was sure to mean more to the Islanders as they try to restart their season.
"All of their games have been close and hard fought. They're a good team on paper," Vigneault said, as a way of expressing the idea that standings can be misleading, "and they play hard against the Rangers all the time."
As Tavares said earlier on Tuesday, "It's just a lot of fun playing in this rivalry and it means a lot to both fan bases. It's an unbelievable atmosphere."
Rangers fans were roaring with their team's many chances during a four-minute first-period power play, after Brock Nelson high-sticked Puempel. But Jaroslav Halak and the penalty killers turned away all of the chances. And after it was over, Nelson jumped right into the play, shot on net and saw Jason Chimera knock it in at 17:24 for a 2-0 lead.
Which is not to say the Rangers and their fans didn't care. The noise was loud only 56 seconds into the second when Jimmy Vesey slammed home a rebound of Rick Nash's shot to make it 2-1. But just as the pro-Rangers chants filled the arena, the Islanders took advantage of a neutral zone turnover and turned it into a goal by Andrew Ladd at 2:18. "This game is a game of momentum and you try to get it back as soon as you can," Ladd said.
Neither side seemed likely to hold onto momentum for long. The Rangers swiftly put together an odd man rush and finished it with a one-timer by Marc Staal from the right circle at 8:54 of the second period and it was 3-2 _ and up for grabs. Until Tavares' score.
