The New York Islanders have taken a long and winding road to get here, but they are now on the verge of clinching a playoff spot.
The Islanders will head into Madison Square Garden Saturday afternoon on a seven-game winning streak and if more results occur later in the day, they could wake up Sunday morning with an “x” next to their name at ranking.
This wasn’t something that seemed likely just two weeks ago.
But the job isn’t done yet and the Islanders will have their hands full with a Rangers team looking to bounce back after losing two in a row, the first of which came against their crosstown rival in a heated match on Long Island. Tuesday.
Everyone will be aware of Saturday’s rematch after the Blueshirts made a big deal about some third-period hits on Tuesday and that could lead to some fireworks, especially early in the contest.
I wouldn’t be shocked if the officials got involved from the start on Saturday to make sure this game doesn’t get derailed.
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This should lead to some power plays or, at the very least, some 4-on-4 time and open things up on the ice from the start.
Eventually, you’d expect a high-stakes game like this to settle down, but the first half should be a box-office hit, and that should mean plenty of scoring chances for both teams.
The game: First period, over 1.5 goals
New York Post
