NYI @ NYR 7:30 PM

🏒 Rangers–Islanders — Tonight at MSG On ESPN 

This is a much more interesting game than the records alone suggest. The Rangers are 3-1-0 and have won three straight, while the Islanders are 1-1-0 and just hammered New Jersey 6-0. The Rangers also have a little unfinished business: the Islanders swept all four meetings last season, outscoring NYR 14-3. NHL

The big advantage tonight: goaltending

Igor Shesterkin vs. Semyon Varlamov.

Igor is confirmed for the Rangers and has started the season at 1.67 GAA/.934 SV%. He was just named the NHL's First Star of the Week. NHL

The Islanders are giving Varlamov his first NHL start since November 29, 2024 after multiple knee surgeries. That's 676 days between regular-season starts. Sorokin is backing him up. NHL

That's the matchup I'd attack if I'm the Rangers: shoot early, shoot through traffic, and make Varlamov move laterally. Don't allow him 10 easy minutes to settle into the game.

Rangers lineup — and we got our answer on Beaudoin

The latest NHL lineup projection has:

Perreault – Zibanejad – Lafrenière
Kartye – J.T. Miller – Dorofeyev
Cuylle – Laba – Tolvanen
Bjorkstrand – Beaudoin – Chmelar

Gavrikov – Fox
Pettersson – Durzi
Šmits – Schneider

Shesterkin
Garand

So Cole Beaudoin is projected to make his NHL debut tonight, centering the fourth line after today's recall. Matt Rempe is projected to be scratched, along with Scott Morrow. Veleno and Korpisalo remain injured. NHL

That fourth line is something I'll be watching. Beaudoin is a natural center and gives Sullivan the ability to leave Bjorkstrand at wing rather than patching the position.

And I'm watching Šmits again

This is another legitimate test for 18-year-old Alberts Šmits.

He's played all four games, is +1, and Sullivan continues to trust him alongside Schneider. NHL That's significant. Four games into the season, this isn't merely "give the kid a taste" anymore.

Against the Islanders, I'd specifically watch how he handles the forecheck below his own goal line and whether he's willing to step up physically at the blue line. The things we've been talking about — mobility, confidence and physicality — should play well against this type of opponent.

What concerns me about NYI

No Barzal tonight — he's out with a lower-body injury — which is a substantial loss. But the Islanders still have some dangerous pieces. NHL

Their top six projects as Heineman–Horvat–Palmieri and Schenn–Ritchie–Eklund. The kid I'd keep an eye on is Victor Eklund: three points in his first three NHL games, including his first NHL goal Saturday. And Matthew Schaefer remains a major factor from the blue line. NHL

The Islanders aren't going to want this to become a track meet. They'll want pressure, puck battles, traffic and ugly goals.

What I want to see from the Rangers

The most encouraging thing about this 3-1 start isn't simply the record. They've allowed goals in only four of their first 12 periods, killed 11 of 12 penalties, and rank third in the NHL in both hits (108) and blocked shots (71). NHL

That's a very different-looking Ranger team.

And Tolvanen has scored in three straight games. Fox has assists in three straight. Miller finally got his first goal Sunday. Perreault has two already. The offense isn't dependent upon one line carrying everybody. NHL

My keys: don't get sucked into stupid rivalry penalties; put 12+ shots on Varlamov in the first; make NYI defend with sustained zone time; and let Igor be Igor rather than asking him to steal it.

My call: Rangers 4, Islanders 2

I like NYR tonight more than I normally would in this rivalry. Shesterkin vs. a 38-year-old Varlamov making his first NHL start in nearly two years is a sizable Ranger advantage, Barzal is out, NYR is at home, and the Rangers are playing substantially better defensively than they did during last year's Islanders sweep.

I'll go 4-2 Rangers, with the fourth being an empty-netter.