National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
NY Islanders 6, NY Rangers 3
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Referees: Greg Kimmerly, Dave Jackson
Linesmen: Derek Amell, Matt MacPherson
Attendance: 18006

Islanders 6, Rangers 3: Kyle Okposo scored early in the third to ignite his team's four-goal period as the visiting Islanders improved to 3-0-0 for the first time since the 2001-02 season.

Brock Nelson netted his fourth goal in three contests and Mikhail Grabovski tallied 30 seconds later in the third for the Islanders, who weathered the storm during the Rangers' 21-shot second period. Captain John Tavares joined Okposo and Grabovski with a goal and an assist, defensemen Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy also tallied and Jaroslav Halak turned aside 40 shots to improve to 5-1-0 in his last six starts versus the Rangers.

Rick Nash scored twice and set a franchise record by tallying in his fourth straight contest to start the season for the Rangers, who have been outscored 17-8 during their three-game skid. Derick Brassard also tallied and Henrik Lundqvist yielded six goals on 27 shots, marking the first time in his career he has permitted at least five tallies in consecutive starts.

The Islanders took advantage of two turnovers by Rangers defenseman Mike Kostka to seize a 3-2 lead. After his ill-advised pass resulted in Tavares scoring from the slot with 4:57 left in the second to forge a 2-2 tie, Kostka's bid up the middle of the ice was intercepted by Okposo, who beat Lundqvist from in close 48 seconds into the third for his 100th career goal.

Ryan Strome (two assists) set up Nelson in front at 4:50 to give the Islanders a 4-2 lead before Grabovski's attempted pass during a 2-on-1 rush deflected off the stick of Rangers defenseman Kevin Klein and into the net. Leddy's blast from the point capped the Islanders' scoring with nine minutes remaining.

GAME NOTEBOOK: After welcoming the birth of his first child on Sunday, Nash backhanded a sharp-angle shot from along the end line that banked off Halak and into the net 6:21 into the first period to open the scoring. Nash's goal-scoring streak to begin a season snapped a tie with Bernie Nicholls, Anders Hedberg, Mike McEwen, Bob Nevin and Bill Cook for the franchise mark. ... Rangers RW Mats Zuccarello registered one shot on goal and logged 16:22 of ice time in his return from a one-game absence due to an ailing shoulder, while LW Ryan Malone had two shots in his season debut. ... The Islanders went 1-for-4 on the man advantage to improve to 5-for-12 on the season while the Rangers failed on all three opportunities to fall to 0-for-11.
Top Game Performances
 
NY Islanders   NY Rangers
Mikhail Grabovski 2 Points Rick Nash 2
Mikhail Grabovski 1 Goals Rick Nash 2
Ryan Strome 2 Assists Anthony Duclair 1
Johnny Boychuk 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Jaroslav Halak .930 Save Percentage Henrik Lundqvist .778
Jaroslav Halak 40 Saves Henrik Lundqvist 21
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
NY Islanders 27 6 1-4 3-3 8 29
NY Rangers 43 3 0-3 3-4 8 32
Upcoming Games
  • NY Rangers will play their next game at home against Carolina. The Rangers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .333 after a loss.
  • NY Islanders will play their next game at home against San Jose. The Islanders have a W/L % of 1.000 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.