The last time the Rangers saw the Islanders, the Blueshirts were in the midst of a terrific start to their season and it seemed they were ready to compete for a second straight Presidents’ Trophy.
They won that Nov. 3 matchup at Madison Square Garden to improve to 8-2-1, and their winning ways continued for a little over two more weeks.
But the team that visits the Islanders on Tuesday on Long Island is a long way from that November version.
Even after Sunday’s much-needed victory in Pittsburgh, the Rangers are still desperate for wins.
And if they intend to get back to the Eastern Conference playoffs, they can’t afford any more bad losses.
They already had one in Buffalo coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off before Igor Shesterkin saved them against the Penguins, when the goalie — pulled in Saturday’s loss — rebounded to make 30 saves through the first two periods Sunday.
Head coach Peter Laviolette said coming out of the break they would need contributions from up and down the roster, not just big names like Shesterkin and Artemi Panarin.
Despite being outplayed for most of Sunday’s win over last-place Pittsburgh, the Rangers overcame Chris Kreider’s late scratch due to an upper-body injury in part thanks to Jimmy Vesey and Adam Fox.
After two goals by Pittsburgh’s Ryan Shea early in the third on Sunday put the Rangers on the precipice of another terrible loss, Vesey tied the score and Fox scored the game-winner to salvage a contest in which the Rangers were outshot 39-15.
Following Sunday’s win, the Rangers were left two points out of the second wild-card spot in the East, with three teams to pass, and the Isles were three points behind their rivals.
Tuesday’s game will be the first of three between the Rangers and Islanders the rest of the regular season and, with little margin for error for either team, the results of those matchups could help determine who gets in and who doesn’t.
For the Rangers, Tuesday’s game on Long Island will be followed by four straight at Madison Square Garden, although MSG hasn’t served as much of an advantage this season. They’re 14-12-2 at home and 14-13-2 on the road.
Meanwhile, the Isles lost to Dallas on Sunday night. It was their third straight defeat and fourth loss in five games following a seven-game winning streak.
The Rangers are in a part of their schedule that they need to capitalize on as they barely escaped Pittsburgh with a win after going nearly 16 minutes without a shot at one point despite the Penguins being ranked next-to-last in the NHL on defense.
Three of their next four games come against teams on the outside looking in at the playoffs before they hit another rough stretch with a game against the Capitals on March 5.
And with 25 games remaining in the regular season, the Rangers have the second-toughest strength of schedule behind only Detroit, which won’t make their task any easier.
