The Islanders made their biggest trade in over a decade on Sunday, and Tuesday night at the Coliseum, they got to see their new prized player.
Thomas Vanek made his Islanders debut in a tightly fought 3-2 loss to the Rangers, and he was rather pleased with both the atmosphere of the building and the effort of his new team.
“I haven’t been in a game like that in a long time,” said Vanek, the two-time 40-goal scorer who played all night on a line with reigning Hart Trophy finalist John Tavares and Kyle Okposo. “Our line was OK. We had some good moments, but we’re still trying to feel each other out. Johnny is so creative with the puck, and I need to watch some video and see his tendencies and get better. But for the first game, it was a tremendous effort from everyone in here.”
Vanek played a total of 19:49, which included 3:43 on the power play. He finished with one shot on goal and three attempts, his best chance coming late in the first period when a backhand chance on the left porch was robbed by Rangers’ backup goalie Cam Talbot.
“To me, Vanek is a skill guy, he’s good with the puck, top line, he’s an elite player in this league,” coach Jack Capuano said before the game. “So there’s no question he’ll play with Johnny.”
Vanek was acquired in a trade with the Sabres in exchange for Matt Moulson, a first-round pick in 2014 and a second-round pick in 2015. The Sabres are picking up 19.5 percent of the remaining $6.4 million he’s owed this season.
It was also clear Vanek was already invested in his new team, having a comment about some of the officiating, as well.
“Some of the penalties we got called on were, especially in a type of game like that, a joke,” he said. “But 5-on-5, I thought we fought hard, just didn’t get the job done.”
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Rangers forward Carl Hagelin made his season debut following offseason shoulder surgery, and had an immediate impact.
Hagelin played on the top line with Brad Richards and Benoit Pouliot, and set up Pouliot’s game-winning goal late in the third.
“I think that’s a perfect game to come back to,” said Hagelin, who finished with 17:15 of ice time, a crucial 1:45 on the penalty kill. “A close game, you get the ‘W’, and you’re able to be involved.”
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Franchise goaltender Henrik Lundqvist sat in favor of Talbot after playing the first game of a back-to-back on Monday, a disheartening 2-0 loss to the Canadiens on the reopening of the refurbished Garden.
“It’s not the first time I didn’t play back-to-backs,” Lundqvist said after a rigorous morning skate Tuesday. “It might be a smart decision. We have a lot of games coming up here.”
Lundqvist had not dressed for the two games prior to Monday’s home-opener because of an undisclosed injury. He said there was nothing physically holding him back from playing Tuesday.
“I feel pretty good,” Lundqvist said. “It’s more tough mentally to lose. You just want to get a good feeling, start winning.”
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The Islanders played without forward Colin McDonald, who has now missed two games in a row with a lingering left hip injury.
“We just have to let him get back to where he is,” Capuano said. “We have healthy bodies now and there’s no sense in putting him in a situation where he can’t perform at the highest level.”
McDonald was replaced in the lineup by rookie Brock Nelson.
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Capuano had no update on the status of top-four defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky, who sustained a concussion on Oct. 19 and hasn’t skated since.