With another victory on home ice over the Islanders, the Rangers continue to win games. Despite not playing their best hockey, they’ve won eight of their first eleven to sit atop the Metropolitan Division

It was a successful weekend. After hanging on to defeat the Senators, they played well enough in the third period to pull away from the Islanders to take the first of four regular season meetings against their crosstown rivals.

The Islanders skated without five regulars. That included star forward Mat Barzal, Anthony Duclair, Adam Pelech, Alexander Romanov, and Mike Reilly. The roster they played with gave a great effort. At times, they dictated the terms with a strong forecheck, which caused the Blueshirts problems in their end.

In a game that saw each side take turns generating high-quality chances, both goalies shined. Off the ice, Igor Shesterkin and Ilya Sorokin are best friends. On it, they’re competitors who are the backbone of their teams. The Russian netminders faced a combined 76 shots on Sunday. They stopped 70, with Shesterkin a bit better. He made 35 saves on 37 shots. Sorokin stopped 35 of 39.

The difference in the contest proved to be special teams. As much as the Islanders did to establish a consistent forecheck at five-on-five, it wasn’t enough to come out of Madison Square Garden with a victory. Their power play was miserable. They went 0-for-5 and allowed a shorthanded goal to Chris Kreider early.

With Jacob Trouba off for holding the stick of Islanders captain Anders Lee, Kreider came out with Mika Zibanejad to create a two-on-one. Kreider finished off a diagonal Zibanejad feed for his second shorthanded goal of the season at 3:44.

Since the start of 2021-22, Kreider has scored the most shorthanded goals with 11. Sidekick Zibanejad has usually been involved. As much as they struggle at even strength when they’re together, they remain one of the league’s best forward duos on the penalty kill. Their chemistry together is why. They know what each other is going to do.

For the first time this season, they were split up by coach Peter Laviolette. Looking to shake things up after two inconsistent performances against the Capitals and Senators, he had Zibanejad with Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere. Kreider played with Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko. Vincent Trocheck was between Will Cuylle and Reilly Smith. The changes helped spark an offense that was nonexistent at even strength in the previous two games.

They also got back Jimmy Vesey. He made his season debut by joining Sam Carrick and Adam Edstrom on the fourth line. Vesey played 8:28 in his first game. He didn’t kill penalties. Cuylle remained there instead.

Those weren’t the only changes to the lineup. Laviolette decided to reunite his top two pairs. Ryan Lindgren was back with Adam Fox. K’Andre Miller worked with Jacob Trouba. Neither pairing was spotless. Each had some issues with the Islanders attacking below the dots. Shesterkin was there to bail them out.

Zac Jones returned after sitting out two straight games for Victor Mancini. He was back with Braden Schneider on the third pair. Coincidentally, they were the best defensive tandem for the Blueshirts.

Leading by a goal, they nearly doubled up on the same penalty kill. Smith thought he had another shorthanded goal. But Sorokin got across to make a great pad save to rob Smith. Afterward, Brock Nelson had a shot go off the crossbar.

On a quick rush through transition, Chytil came close to increasing the lead. But his shot hit the goalpost. The speed with which he plays makes him a dangerous threat for the Rangers. He’s the fastest skating forward they have.

After stopping Kyle Palmieri on a prior shift, Shesterkin denied Noah Dobson in tight. He made 10 saves in the first period to keep the Islanders off the scoreboard.

Sorokin made key stops on Panarin late in the period to keep his team within one.

The second period was hectic. The teams combined for 34 shots, with the Islanders holding an 18-16 edge. It was the Rangers who took advantage of a mistake by Islanders defenseman Samuel Bolduc to go up by two.

Following a Bolduc giveaway, Smith set up Trocheck from behind the net to put the Rangers up 2-0 at 1:21. The goal was Trocheck’s 200th of his career. He continues to be productive. The new look with Smith and Cuylle on his line worked. They were noticeable during most shifts.

Over three minutes later, the Islanders broke through on Shesterkin. On a play in transition, Simon Holmstrom sent Pierre Engvall in for a routine shot from the left circle that Shesterkin fumbled for a bad rebound. Casey Cizikas beat Smith to put the loose puck in for his first of the season at 4:38.

The Islanders had a great chance to tie the game. With Kreider already in the box, Fox took an ill-advised delay of game minor to give the Islanders a five-on-three for 36 seconds. After Shesterkin stopped Lee, Nelson hit the goalpost. Still on the power play, Lee took an undisciplined interference minor on Trouba to end it.

Following an abbreviated four-on-four, Trocheck drew a hooking minor on Ryan Pulock. That gave the Rangers a two-man advantage. After the Islanders killed off 14 seconds of a five-on-three, Panarin converted on the power play for his team-leading eighth to make it 3-1 with less than nine minutes left in the period. Fox and Zibanejad combined to set him up for a wrist shot that went between Trocheck’s legs past a screened Sorokin. It was well executed.

Trailing by two, the Islanders responded quickly. Palmieri nearly made it a one-goal game. But he was turned aside twice by Shesterkin. The remainder of the second favored the Long Island rival. They tilted the ice with their aggressive forecheck.

Eventually, the hard work paid off. On a dominant shift spent in the Rangers’ end, Lee found Palmieri, who then cut around a diving Trouba and sent a shot pass across for Nelson to tip in with eight seconds remaining for his fifth. That cut the deficit to one headed to the third period.

On an early power play, Trocheck looked like he had another goal, only to see Sorokin make a clutch save to thwart him. The second unit also came close. But Kaapo Kakko was denied by Sorokin. Lafreniere set up Chytil for a good chance in the slot that Sorokin gloved.

In what proved to be the save of the game, Shesterkin turned away Bo Horvat on a breakaway. That proved to be the turning point.

A bit later, Edstrom had a Schneider point shot bank off his back and took a strange bounce in midair that went towards the Islanders net. Carrick looked like he stuffed it in. The replay showed that the puck had already crossed the line. Thar gave Edstrom a well-deserved first goal of the season. He gets chances every game. He finally got rewarded.

With the Rangers ahead 4-2, Fox took another bad delay of game minor. He still hasn’t been himself. He’s made more mistakes than usual. Fortunately, the penalty kill delivered.

Edstrom got another opportunity. But Sorokin stopped him on the backhand to keep the Islanders alive. Patrick Roy lifted Sorokin with over four minutes left. The move backfired.

Panarin sealed it with an empty netter that came with 3:23 remaining. He’s up to nine goals in the Rangers’ first 11 games. Last season, he scored a career best 49. He shows no signs of slowing down. Ever since Laviolette emphasized shooting the puck more, the Bread Man has. He’s become a better player by getting more involved on the forecheck. That was a big reason for the success he had with Lafreniere and Trocheck in 2023-24. Lafreniere is strong on the wall and he’s a puck hawk. He came back hard defensively during a shift yesterday to steal the puck and start a play in transition.

It remains to be seen if they can unlock Zibanejad at even strength. Zibanejad finished with a season high three assists. They came shorthanded, on the power play, and on Panarin’s empty netter. He still doesn’t have a goal at five-on-five. That must change.

Although Laviolette was pleased with his team’s effort, they’re still giving up too many shots. The defense remains an issue. There were too many instances when the Islanders had both Lindgren and Fox and Miller and Trouba pinned in their end chasing the play. That can’t continue.

Schneider was tried with Trouba before Lindgren returned. They had some success with Schneider playing the left side. Miller remains an enigma. At times, he has strong shifts where he uses his size and reach to make good defensive plays. Then, there are shifts where he makes bad decisions that cause issues. He had better metrics with Fox than Trouba, who seems to get dragged down when they’re together. Trouba worked well with both Schneider and Lindgren.

If there was a positive to come out of the win, it was the steady play of Jones. He belongs on the third pair. The problem is Mancini isn’t on the roster to sit in the press box. If that becomes the case, he should go down to Hartford. Matthew Robertson is off to a good start for the Wolf Pack. Depending upon what Laviolette decides, that’ll determine if Mancini stays. He has shown poise and promise. But he’s a true rookie at the pro level. Will there be an adjustment period?

The Rangers have the next three days off. David Gilmour is booked at MSG tonight, tomorrow, and Wednesday. They wrap up the three-game homestand against the Sabres on Thursday, Nov. 7. Believe it or not, Thanksgiving is two weeks later.

The Blueshirts lead the Hurricanes by a point for the division. They’re 8-2-0. The Capitals are 8-3-0. The Devils are 7-5-2. They all have 16 points. New Jersey visits Edmonton later tonight. They look to bounce back from a 3-0 shutout loss at Calgary. Gametime is 8:30 EST.