The spectacle that was this Stadium Series weekend at MetLife Stadium only amplified the magnitude of the results.
The Islanders had the pleasure of punctuating the two-game slate with a matchup against their longtime rivals, the Rangers, who had the pleasure of putting on one of their signature comeback shows in a 6-5 overtime win on a goal from Artemi Panarin in front of 79,690 people braving the elements on Sunday in East Rutherford.
It wasn’t a make-or-break game for the Rangers on Feb. 18, but it was the first time they had seen the Islanders in the regular season since Dec. 22, 2022.
In such a setting, the Rangers found a way to succeed.
Sitting on the outside looking in at the wild-card spots, the Islanders were desperate to succeed.
And that is how this one went during a late afternoon and evening that served as an homage to both fan bases, the elite players that both fandoms claim make them the best and the teams that represent the height of both franchises’ success.
Members of the Islanders’ four-time Stanley Cup-winning dynasty waved to the masses.
Members of the Rangers’ beloved 1994 Stanley Cup-winning team, and legendary goalie Henrik Lundqvist, showed their appreciation.
Rangers fans got to collectively boo Denis Potvin in the flesh for the first time in 36 years. Islanders fans got to revel in watching their team hang five goals on Igor Shesterkin.
The fifth one could’ve been a backbreaker for a Rangers team that lost Ryan Lindgren simultaneously.
Noah Dobson’s shot from the top of the zone was deflected by Jonny Brodzinski right to the stick of Alexander Romanov, who buried it, pumped his fist and slid to one knee all in one fluid motion.
The follow-through of an earlier shot from Romanov smashed Lindgren right in the face and left the Rangers’ defenseman bleeding on the ice in the corner as the goal was scored.
The Islanders scrambled in the final half of the third period, handing the Rangers three power plays over that span. Bringing on the extra skater for the six-on-four edge, the Rangers were able to force overtime on goals from Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad.
The primarily blue-and-red-clad crowd were behind the Blueshirts as the New York hockey legends of yesteryear, Mark Messier and Bryan Trottier, dropped the ceremonial puck between Rangers captain Jacob Trouba and Islanders captain Anders Lee at center ice.
MetLife may be home to the Jets and Giants, who both had players in attendance, but the Rangers looked right at home through the first couple of minutes.
Erik Gustafsson unloaded a bullet shot from the top of the zone, which grazed Isles goalie Ilya Sorokin and went in, to mark the Rangers’ first shot of the game. Right off the subsequent faceoff at center ice, Matt Rempe lived up to his reputation in his first ever NHL shift and pummeled Isles fourth-liner Matt Martin.
The towering 6-foot-8 ¹/₂ forward motioned for the crowd to get loud and they obliged.
That was all Rangers fans got to cheer for through the remainder of the first period, however, as the Islanders rattled off three straight goals to cap the opening frame. The latter two — Bo Horvat’s score off the rush and Mathew Barzal’s power-play goal — came in the span of 26 seconds to reward the Isles for their hustle with a 3-1 lead by the first intermission.
The Isles buried another power-play goal just over a minute into the second, when Lee tipped the puck between his legs and past Shesterkin.
There was then a minor downward shift in the Islanders intensity, which the Rangers promptly pounced on.
Out of technicality, Trocheck was credited with both goals that cut the Islanders lead, 4-3, by the end of the second period.
The one that made it a one-goal game, however, was only possible because of Trocheck’s ability to stick with a rebound and chip it in with 1:36 left in the middle frame.
But the first was all off a shot from Panarin, who found a lane through traffic on the power play and in turn, Trocheck’s stick, to keep the Rangers competitive.
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Mollie Walker
