NY Rangers 3, NY Islanders 0: Isles Can Learn Much from Crosstown Foes

The New York Islanders might want to hold onto the film from Monday night's 3-0 loss.

The New York Rangers put on an absolute clinic in this game.  You want to learn how to win hockey games?  Just watch what these guys did—the way they blocked shots and played superb defense all night long.

Even while being outshot 11-2 during the last 10 minutes of the middle frame, the Rangers never lost their composure.  The Islanders lost theirs after Carl Hagelin scored his second goal of the contest for the Rangers.

Believe it or not, there were some positives for the Isles, starting with Mark Streit, who was a minus-two, but made some good defensive plays and didn't turn the puck over once. 

Travis Hamonic had another outstanding night with six hits and five blocked shots, logging just about 25 minutes of ice time. 

The Islanders also got a good effort from Milan Jurcina, who was very active in the offensive zone with three shots on goal and at least four more that missed Henrik Lundqvist and the red rectangle he defends.

Overall, the Isles were pretty solid on offense.  They didn't score any goals, but that has more to do with the fact that the Rangers were blocking shots left and right.  It didn't help that Lundqvist was doing the same. 

Frans Nielsen led the way for the Islanders with five shots and a number of chances, as did John Tavares, PA Parenteau, Matt Moulson, Kyle Okposo, Jurcina and Hamonic.

Ultimately, the Rangers just did a fantastic job taking away those opportunities, shutting down passing lanes and snuffing out shots. 

When the Rangers' defense fell asleep toward the end of the second period, Lundqvist was there to save the day.  The Isles couldn't buy themselves a goal in this one.

Evgeni Nabokov was sharp between the pipes for the Isles, stopping 28 of 30 shots fired in his direction. 

Nabokov was on his game all night and certainly did everything he could to give the Islanders a chance to win.  Hagelin beat him twice, but I'd venture to say that neither goal was Nabby's fault.

The Islanders lost this game for two main reasons: First, the Rangers (particularly Ryan Callahan and Hagelin) were able beat them down low just about every time.

Secondly, the Isles stopped skating in the third period.  They generated a ton of pressure on offense over the last nine minutes of the second, but failed to sustain it.

Monday night's performance wasn't the Islanders' worst, but whatever the case, it wasn't good enough. 

Time's running out for them to get back into the hunt, and unless management shakes things up, this team's going to fall short yet again.

Comments are welcome.