By STEPHEN WHYNO
Carson Soucy scored towards the crew that traded him 72 hours earlier, Matthew Schaefer acquired the 14th objective of his stellar rookie yr and the New York Islanders defeated the Rangers 2-1 on Thursday night time.
Soucy turned the primary participant to attain for the Rangers and the Islanders at Madison Sq. Backyard in the identical season. The Islanders swept the back-to-back set between the crosstown rivals after successful 5-2 at house on Wednesday night time.
Ilya Sorokin stopped 20 of 21 photographs to choose up his 18th victory in 32 begins this season. Schaefer, the primary decide within the draft final June, broke a tie with Corridor of Famer Bobby Orr for the second-most targets by an 18-year-old defenseman in NHL historical past.
Schaefer’s objective got here 1 minute, 35 seconds after Soucy beat former teammate Jonathan Fast brief aspect from a decent angle. Soucy was taking part in simply his second recreation with the Islanders since they gave up a third-round decide to get him in simply the fourth commerce between the New York groups and first since 2010.
Mika Zibanejad scored on the ability play and Fast allowed two targets on 21 photographs in his eighth look in 12 video games since Igor Shesterkin was sidelined due to a lower-body harm. The long-term absences of Shesterkin and prime defenseman Adam Fox exacerbated what was already a tough season for the Rangers, who just lately signaled they’re starting a retooling course of.
According to that, they started sitting main scorer Artemi Panarin fairly than risking an harm that might stop buying and selling him earlier than the March 6 deadline. Panarin is a pending unrestricted free agent whom the Rangers knowledgeable they weren’t re-signing.
The Islanders, who’ve received three in a row as they intention to make the playoffs, had been with out fourth-line middle Casey Cizikas due to sickness. Maxim Shabanov took his spot within the lineup.
UP NEXT
Islanders: Host Nashville on Saturday night time.
Rangers: Go to Pittsburgh on Saturday.
