Alex Lafreniere just dropped a two empty-net-goal hat trick on the Islanders, sealing a 5-2 win for the Rangers and pushing their annoying hot start to the season even further. Man, talk about a punch to the gut for the Isles in what turned into a tough opener.
Isles Fight Back, But Rangers Shut Them Down
The Rangers came out firing, getting on the board early in both the first and second periods. It looked like it might be an easy night for them. But give credit where it’s due, the Islanders showed some serious fight, clawing their way back to tie it up 2-2 with two quick goals in a two-minute span. The energy was electric, you could feel it. Then, late in the second period, Oliver “Swedish Chef” Bjorkstrand delivered the dagger with a power play goal that proved to be the game-winner. Oof. Lafreniere then iced the cake with two empty netters after the Rangers absolutely clamped down in the third, outshooting the Islanders 12-5. That’s a serious shutdown when it counted most.
Injury Woes and What-Ifs for the Islanders
It wasn’t just the score that hurt the Islanders; they took some hits, literally. Simon Holmstrom got a puck to the face that looked gnarly, needing a crime scene cleanup on the ice, but he’s a warrior and came back for the second and third periods. Unfortunately, Alex Romanov wasn’t as lucky and didn’t return. Talk about adding insult to injury.
On the bright side, Semyon Varlamov made his return after two years on the shelf from two knee surgeries. At 38, he looked perfectly average, which, honestly, is a massive win for a guy coming off that kind of layoff. The real question, though, is can he be more than average and hold up all season long? That’s a story for another day, and one they’ll be watching closely. Braden Schenn had a productive game despite an early fight, so credit to him. Matthew Schaefer also hit the post twice, making you wonder what might have been in an alternate universe. Their power play converted once on a slick connection from Schenn to Matias Maccelli to Bo Horvat, and it looked threatening at times, but only managed three shots on four opportunities. And their penalty kill? Not great, allowing Bjorkstrand’s winner on a fantastic cross-slot setup. Gotta clean that up.
The Islanders need to shake this off quick, because they’re hosting the Blackhawks on Tuesday. Can they find some answers before then? We’ll be watching.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Lighthouse Hockey.
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