Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the NHL preseason match.
The New York derby ahead of the NHL regular season promises to reveal whether the exceedingly successful Rangers have additional resources.
New York Rangers
In their first encounter with the Boston Bruins, Peter Laviolette opted to minimally use his main players. This makes sense, as he already knows their capabilities well, but not those of the newcomers or players from the farm team. Some players from the third and fourth lines, such as Kaapo Kakko, made an appearance. Notably, Filip Chytil, who has been a reliable element of the lower lines for many years but was sidelined for most of the 2023/24 season (10 games, 0+6), showed good form against the Boston Bruins. The Czech forward provided an assist and scored a goal himself. The goaltenders were backups, each conceding a goal and saving around 93% of shots.
New York Islanders
The Islanders faced the New Jersey Devils with almost their full-strength lineup, supplemented by their most talented prospects. Marcus Högberg, who recently joined the Islanders, was in goal for the first half of the match. The 29-year-old Swede seems closer to securing a primary role than Jakub Skarek, even though he conceded two goals, saving only 88.2% of shots. By the end of the second period, the score was tied at 2:2, mainly because Devils’ new No. 1 Jacob Markström, an established NHL goaltender, was in net. Once he was replaced by the backup, it became easier for the Islanders, who then scored the game-winning goal.
New York Rangers vs New York Islanders Prediction
If the Rangers coaching staff continues to experiment while the Islanders work on solidifying their lineup, the New York Islanders stand a better chance of securing their second preseason win.
