Artemi Panarin scored twice to help the Rangers win for the third time in their last four games, defeating the crosstown-rival Islanders 5-2 on Sunday afternoon from Madison Square Garden.
Chris Kreider, Vincent Trocheck, and Adam Edstrom added goals for the Blueshirts (8-2-1) while Igor Shesterkin made 35 saves to drub the struggling Islanders (4-6-2), who have now lost four of their last five. Left out to dry for most of the night, goaltender Ilya Sorokin made 35 saves while Casey Cizikas and Brock Nelson accounted for the Islanders’ goals.
A power play normally provides an advantage unless that team is the Islanders. The Rangers struck just 3:44 into the game when Kreider slotted a short-handed tally past Sorokin.
A mistake from Noah Dobson at the blue line allowed Kreider and Mika Zibanejad to lead a break the other way. After play catch, Zibanejad fed Kreider at the right circle, who one-timed it home to put the Blueshirts in front.
The Rangers doubled their lead early in the second period thanks to the hastiliy-taped-together Islanders defense. Sam Bolduc turned the puck over deep in the Islanders’ zone to Reilly Smith, who fed Trocheck for the goal 1:21 into the frame.
The Islanders came up with a breakthrough 3:17 later when a Pierre Engvall shot was spilled by Shesterkin. With the puck next to him, Cizikas stuffed it home to give the visitors their opener.
Less than seven minutes later, at the 11:04 mark of the second, Panarin restored the Rangers’ two-goal advantage when a long-range wrist shot beat Sorokin, who was screened by Trocheck.
With eight seconds left in the period, the Islanders got a lifeline when Kyle Palmieri hit Nelson alone at the right post to tap it home to make it a 3-2 game heading into the third period.
The Rangers would put it away in the third period, instead. Just seconds after Shesterkin stoned Horvat from close-range, Edstrom gave the Blueshirts a fourth 5:18 into the frame for his first goal of the season when his deflection floated over Sorokin and just past the goal line.
Patrick Roy was aggressive, pulling Sorokin with just under four mintues left in the third, but it backfired when Panarin picked up his second goal of the game with 3:23 to go — converting from 190 feet away in the Islanders’ zone.
