Jonny Brodzinski scored twice, while Urho Vaakanainen contributed a goal and two assists, leading the New York Rangers to a 5-1 victory over the rival Islanders on Tuesday night.
J.T. Miller and Matt Rempe also found the net for the Rangers, who secured their second consecutive win. Goaltender Igor Shesterkin was solid, making 36 saves.
Alexander Romanov provided the lone goal for the Islanders, who have now dropped four straight games after previously winning eight of nine. Ilya Sorokin struggled in net, allowing five goals on 11 shots before being replaced by Jakub Skarek to start the third period. Skarek stopped all seven shots he faced.
The Rangers suffered setbacks as defensemen Adam Fox and K’Andre Miller exited the game and did not return.
Brodzinski broke a 1-1 tie midway through the first period, then netted his second goal of the night—and his sixth of the season—in the final minute of the opening frame, giving the Rangers a 3-1 lead.
Miller, who was acquired from Vancouver last month, and Rempe added second-period goals to extend the advantage to 5-1.
Vaakanainen had opened the scoring at 6:22 of the first period, but Romanov responded for the Islanders less than two minutes later.
For the Rangers, the addition of Brennan Othmann to the fourth line could give head coach Peter Laviolette the flexibility to consistently roll out 12 forwards. Othmann, a 2021 first-round pick, made his season debut with Chris Kreider sidelined due to an upper-body injury. He played a key role in Brodzinski’s late first-period goal by setting a screen in front of Sorokin.
The Islanders’ struggles in divisional matchups continued, as they fell to 8-11-1 against Metropolitan Division opponents and 13-20-3 when conceding the first goal. Their four-game losing streak may push team president and general manager Lou Lamoriello to consider trading expiring contracts like Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri, with the playoffs becoming less likely.
Up next, the Rangers host Toronto on Friday to kick off a four-game homestand, while the Islanders travel to Boston on Thursday.
