They are mirror images of one another. The Rangers bring out the best in the Islanders. The Islanders bring out the worst in the Rangers.
It’s three-for-three in regulation this season for Hempstead Turnpike against Broadway with last night’s 2-1 victory at Madison Square Garden, and 18 points to seven in the season-series over the 11 intramural confrontations since the beginning of 2006-07.
It’s baffling how disorganized the Blueshirts tend to look against the Islanders, even given the consistently admirable preparation, execution and goaltending from Ted Nolan’s team.
Jaromir Jagr had nothing; most importantly, not the puck. Scott Gomez was smothered. Brandon Dubinsky accomplished nothing. Marcel Hossa was deficient in his defensive duties. Brendan Shanahan spent his night on the perimeter without getting to tee it up. Chris Drury had another ineffective evening.
Sean Avery came with emotion, but the handcuffs slapped on him by referees Don VanMassenhoven and Dean Warren not only negated the impact of his zeal, but kept him in the box for 11:38 of hockey time when play kept going while No. 16 was serving a double-minor for being near Andy Sutton when the defenseman fell down.
The power play was a stand-up act, unable to gain the zone with the slightest bit of cohesion or send a single shot against Rick DiPietro in 7:36. Yet Tom Renney continued to employ a first unit featuring Jagr, Shanahan and Gomez, a trio of individuals who have been working at cross-purposes on the man advantage.
“At least you can’t say we weren’t shooting, because we didn’t get in the zone,” Shanahan said wryly after his club’s five-game winning streak came to an end. “We allowed frustration to creep into our game.
“We put a lot of emotion into (games against the Islanders), and sometimes we channel our emotions the wrong way.”
The Islanders were up 2-0 on goals by Ruslan Fedotenko and Joe Vasicek before Michal Roz sival’s short- handed goal at 6:37 of the second – his sec ond shortie in two games and team- leading seventh goal overall – brought the Rangers within 2-1. But the Blue shirts were un able to apply any meaningful pres sure on DiPietro thereafter, despite constant shuffling by Renney that most dramatically featured moving Drury out of the middle to the left side with Jagr.
It’s 21 games into the season, and Drury has yet to establish anything with anybody. He has three points in his last nine games (1-2), 12 points (3-9) overall in searching for kindred souls.
“I’m not going to be negative, but I just haven’t been able to click no matter who I’ve been with,” Drury said. “My goal at the start of the season was to come to the rink prepared to play every game, and that hasn’t changed.
“I’m gratified that we’ve been winning, but at the end of the day, I’d rather be contributing. I take every game very seriously, and I think I’m going to get better.”
A week ago in Toronto on the morning of his Hall of Fame induction, Mark Messier lauded Drury and Gomez as players, “who will earn their money in the playoffs; who know how to get ready for, and play in, big games.”
The Islanders are the big games now, with the next one coming up next Thursday back at the Garden.
“That’s a nice compliment from the ultimate playoff guy, but it’s a long time between now and the playoffs,” Drury said. “I’d better be playing good hockey long before April.”