Tonight at 7 p.m. ET, the New York Rangers (33-16-5, 71 points) and New York Islanders (37-18-1, 75 points) face-off for the fourth of five meetings this season live from the Nassau Coliseum in New York.
The Blueshirts have won their last three games and close out a four-match road trip while the Isles have won four straight contests and close out a four-game homestand they are unbeaten on.
The Islanders are in first place in the Metropolitan Division and lead the second place Pittsburgh Penguins (73 points) by two points.
The Rangers are four points shy of their opponents and sit in the third and final playoff spot in the division. The team is just one point clear of the Washington Capitals (70).
The Isles have dropped the Blueshirts all three times these teams have met this season, including the last meeting where they notched a 4-1 victory on Jan. 27.
This game can be live streamed by clicking here.
The Rangers are coming off of a 5-1 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday and will look to have a better effort against the Islanders than they had all season.
"We've turned pucks over, we haven't had great starts, we've given up goals in bunches," Rangers forward Rick Nash said per NHL.com. "We've lost three times now, so it's definitely a bit of a test for us. If we stick to our game plan, stick to our style that works, we'll have a better chance."
Nash leads the Blueshirts with 55 points and ranks second in the NHL in goals (35) and second in plus-minus (plus-25, tied). Derick Brassard is second on the Rangers with 43 points off of 13 goals and 30 assists while Martin St. Louis is second on the team with 14 tallies and tied for third with 38 points.
The Islanders are coming in off of a 6-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday and will look to win for the fifth straight matchup.
"It's a big game, a four-point game," Islanders forward Josh Bailey told NHL.com "With the way the standings are now it's such a logjam and these games are huge. The fact that it's the Rangers and the way the standings are, it makes it that much more important."
Captain John Tavares paces the Isles with 26 goals and 55 points this season. Ryan Strome is having a solid campaign, putting up 35 points on 10 tallies and 25 helpers while Brock Nelson has found the twine 15 times and added 17 assists for 32 points.
In net, the Isles turn to Jaroslav Halak and he is 31-11-0 with a 2.40 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage.
With Henrik Lundqvist (throat) injured, the Blueshirts counter with Cam Talbot in the crease and he is 8-5-2 with a 2.35 GAA and a .918 save percentage.
Two huge rivals take the ice in a big game when the puck drops on the Rangers and Islanders live tonight from the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island.
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