NHL Needs an Islanders-Rangers First-Round Matchup

Throw away the Rangers 5-2 stomping of the Islanders on March 17; every game of the series could have gone either way. Two one-goal games and another that went down to the wire. If the regular season was any indication, these two teams would provide a close and thrilling playoff series and one that would add to the storied rivalry.

A Matchup Adds Another Chapter to the Rivalry

The Rangers have only won one Stanley Cup title since 1940, and Islanders fans don’t let Rangers fans hear the end of it. “1940” was a common chant heard at Nassau Coliseum and would be until 1994 when the Cup drought finally ended. The Islanders, meanwhile, haven’t won a Cup title since 1983, and it’s starting to become one of the longest title droughts in the NHL.

From “1940” to “Potvin Sucks” or “I don’t want to be a chicken, I don’t want to be a duck…” and recently “Igor’s Better,” the chants are catchy and seem endless, especially when the Islanders or Rangers have control of a game or the rivalry. Fans chanting aside, the Islanders and Rangers rivalry goes hand-in-hand with hockey history from the expansion era onward.

The Rangers have always been the team of New York and despite the Islanders and New Jersey Devils’ best efforts, that won’t change. Yet, in terms of success, the Islanders stole the show, notably in the 1980s. They won four Stanley Cup titles in a row and became the dynasty everyone tried to emulate. The Edmonton Oilers ultimately knocked them off their pedestal, but their run made them the team of an era, giving them diehard fans who continue to support them.

The rivalry was one-sided until the 1990s, when the Rangers finally took control. Bill Torrey was the architect of the Islanders dynasty by drafting stars, but Neil Smith built the Rangers into a juggernaut with offseason moves, notably acquiring Mark Messier in 1991. They secured control of the rivalry when they won the Cup, and the Islanders entered two decades of darkness (from 1990-91 until 2017-18, they only reached the playoffs nine times).

In recent seasons, the rivalry appears to go back and forth depending on which team is playing well at the time or having a lot go right in a given season. This season, a matchup in the First Round could have a lot of historical significance, considering where the two teams are heading entering the playoffs. The Rangers are having one of the greatest seasons in franchise history and they could knock off one of their rivals on the way to a Cup run (something they did in 1994) or watch the Islanders upset them and ruin a season with high hopes. The Devils stunned them last season in the First Round, and the Islanders would love to do the same thing to them.

Laviolette vs Roy

The coaching battle would, in many ways, show what a head coach needs to succeed in the NHL. Peter Laviolette has been around the block, with the Rangers being the sixth team he’s coached and the fifth in the Metropolitan Division. Patrick Roy, meanwhile, is only in his second coaching stint at the NHL level. Yet both coaches have proven this season that they can lead a team to a deep playoff run.

Laviolette was hired by the Rangers in the offseason to provide energy and, more importantly, accountability behind the bench. On top of that, he’s a coach who could stand behind his players and get the best out of them. Laviolette’s done just that, and his steady grip on the team allowed them to battle through injuries and remain the best team in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers only fell into a slump once all season and it came in early Jan. with four straight losses, a reflection of a well-coached team.

Roy, meanwhile, took over a team in desperate need of a change. When he was hired on January 20, the Islanders were an undisciplined team that played without structure, and they needed a fiery head coach who could turn their season around. The changes started in the practices and made their way into games, with Roy forcing the team to play a structured, defense-first style. He balanced out the Islanders and helped turn them into a playoff team.

The two passionate coaches going at it in the First Round would not only provide entertainment value but it would also result in plenty of quality hockey on the ice. Both teams would adapt on the fly and look like well-coached teams, the way it should be in the playoffs.

How an Islanders-Rangers Matchup Can Happen

The Islanders must win at least one of their next two games to secure a playoff spot. To conclude the season, they play the Devils and the Pittsburgh Penguins, and defeating both teams can see them clinch the three-seed in the Metropolitan Division. Then, they have to wait and see how the Rangers play in their season finale.

The Rangers can lock up the top spot in the Metropolitan Division with a win on Monday, April 15, against the Ottawa Senators. If they do that, it’s unlikely they will face the Islanders, who are in the driver’s seat for the third-best record in the division. However, a loss puts the matchup into play, as the Hurricanes can run the table and surpass them. The Rangers, as the top seed, can still face the Islanders if they manage to make it as a wild card, which is probably how they’d want to face their closest rival after all.

The Islanders face the Rangers in the First Round, who have the playoffs kicked off the ground and running. Even if they don’t meet in the First Round, a Second-Round matchup is still a slight possibility and would be one with higher stakes as well.