The phrase “end of the Era” is thrown around a lot, but that’s what the Rangers and Islanders experienced at the Nassau Coliseum on Saturday night.
And it appears that the Rangers’ 3–0 loss to the Rangers will officially mark the final meeting between the New York rivals at the Coliseum. It was a sport that neither team’s fan base would forget.
“It’s a big rivalry,” said Josh Bailey, who assisted on all three Islanders’ goals. “For myself, personally, and all those people who have had the chance to be part of that rivalry, our fans, most importantly, I think I enjoyed it here over the years. You would have closed this chapter. And I am sure there will be other stories to move forward in the new field. “
The Rangers have certainly performed better at the Coliseum over the years than they did on Saturday night. A memorable one came on March 5, 1994, when 23-year-old Sergei Zubov scored a late-game winning goal in the third round to give the Rangers their first victory on Long Island in nearly five years en route to winning the Stanley Cup. .
But islanders have always brought a new meaning to the home-ice advantage in the Coliseum. Also this season, he has just three regulation losses at home.
Who can forget Game 5 of the 1984 Patrick Division semi-final, when Don Maloney cut a rebound from the islands’ legendary goalkeeper Billy Smith, over the shoulder, with 39 seconds left in regulation to tie the game?
The Rangers might have considered that game, and that moment in history, forever. Not in the Islanders’ home. Defenseman Ken Morrow, better known as Wolfman, won it in overtime. The Islanders were looking for their fifth-straight title that year, but fell short against the Oils.
An unforgettable roundtable fight between Dan Cloutier and Tommy Salo in 1998 led to Cloutier challenging the entire island bench. And the game in 2007, when Chris Simon dropped Ryan Hallweg’s face. Also, Thoran Fury’s extraordinary chicken dance that made former islanders persecute Eric Cairns.
Oh, and the 2007 Heinrich Lundkvist vs. Islanders Ice Girls debacle.
It all went down in the barn. But after 132 regular-season games and 19 playoff games, the Coliseum has seen more than enough action between these two franchises. The Islanders have some very big shoes to fill in the new UBS Arena in Almont, L.I.
Morgan Barone made his NHL debut in the Rangers’ fourth line, registering one hit in 11:56 ice time.
Forward Chris Kreider was out for the second game with a lower body injury, so Roki Vitaly Kravtsov started in the second line for the first time since joining the Rangers in late March. Kreider is still considered day-to-day.
Defensemen Ryan Lindgren (upper body injury) and Jacob Trouba (presumed consent) were also out and considered to be day-to-day. As a result, Tarmo Reunanen skated in his second NHL game and for the first time since March 15, when he was recalled by Adam Fox after registering a false positive on the COVID-19 test.
Julian Gauthier played for the first time since April 3 when he was healthy for 14 straight games. Philippe de Giuseppe, who was in the lineup at the Garden on Thursday, was again a healthy scratch after being scratched for 12 straight games.
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