Rangers’ season series with Islanders was nothing short of ugly

For the first time in nearly eight years, the Rangers lost every game to the Islanders in a single campaign. 

The regular-season series sweep is one thing, but the nature of each Rangers defeat signaled a turning point in the long-standing rivalry.

While the 2-1 loss Thursday night at Madison Square Garden was the closest contest between the teams this season, the Blueshirts were outscored by an eye-catching 14-3 over the four games against the Islanders. 

“We’re talking to the guys a lot, whether it’s 5-on-5 or 4-on-4, on trying to create more off the shot,” head coach Mike Sullivan said after the Rangers fell to 6-14-4 on home ice this season. “Simplify the game. Get inside, create more off the shot. Nothing breaks coverage down better than a shot on goal. A rebound goes somewhere and decisions have to be made. Therein lies opportunity. If we get inside with people, we’ve got an opportunity to compete on pucks and we force the Islanders to have to defend the scoring area. 

“I just think we have to do a better job at recognizing when to put pucks in play, but we also have to have a willingness to get inside with people more consistently. When we do it, we do it at times and I think we create when we do. There’s an element of consistency I think we can bring more to that. 

“I think if we do, I think we’ll score more goals, we’ll generate more scoring chances, we may draw more penalties, because we’re forcing teams to have to defend the scoring area and that’s the hardest area in the rink to defend.”