Rangers vs. Islanders: Preview of Tonight's Game as New York Teams Clash

The New York Islanders' season may be hanging in the balance tonight when they host the New York Rangers at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The Rangers currently sit atop the Eastern Conference at 38-15-5 but have dropped two of their last three games and are coming off of a shutout against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Also, as Larry Brooks of the NY Post reports, rumors continue to swirl around the team as well, as Columbus Blue Jackets forward Rick Nash may be headed to Madison Square Garden.

As for the Islanders, this is the closest to a must-win game the team has seen this season. The team had been playing better in the months of January and February but the Isles have dropped four of their last 10, including two straight losses against the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators. The team currently sits at 25-27-8 and is eight points out of the eighth and final playoff spot. Their slim hopes of the playoffs could be erased with a loss to the Rangers tonight.

The expected starting goalies for tonight's game are Marty Biron and Evgeni Nabokov. This may be Nabokov's last start as a New York Islander as trade rumors continue to heat up about the goaltender. Nabokov has been nothing short of outstanding this season with the Isles.

Speaking of outstanding, Biron owns the New York Islanders. In 27 starts against the Islanders, Biron is 21-4-1 with a 2.00 goals-against average and .934 save percentage. He will look to build on those numbers tonight.

While we are on the topic of owning the New York Islanders, New York Rangers forward Marian Gaborik will look to pad his lofty stats against the Isles. In 25 games against the Isles he has 17 goals and 12 assists. With the Isles struggling lately, look for Gaborik to have a solid game against a porous Islanders defense.

On the Islanders side, there is one man always to keep an eye on and that is John Tavares. The guy that has historically played well isn't Tavares though; it's former Ranger, P.A. Parenteau. In the 10 games he has played against the Rangers, Parenteau has five goals and eight assists. Hopefully he can build on that.

With the Rangers sitting atop the Eastern Conference and this being a must-win game for the Isles, you have to think the Islanders will have plenty of motivation to beat the Rangers tonight. Unfortunately I think the Rangers will be too tough to handle, especially with third-line center Josh Bailey out for the Isles. On the bright side, it appears that key defenseman Travis Hamonic will return for this one.

The Rangers will win this one but the Isles will still come away with a point. Rangers win 3-2 in overtime.