With Late Surge, Islanders Top the Rangers

The Rangers and the Islanders usually play intense games, regardless of the standings. But rarely over the past two decades have the Islanders had a better record than the Rangers at any stage of the season.

Barely a week into the season, the visiting Islanders made a strong statement Tuesday in the teams' 250th meeting, breaking open a 2-2 game early the third period on a goal by Kyle Okposo, then adding three more against Henrik Lundqvist for a 6-3 win at Madison Square Garden.

Though outshot by 43-27, the Islanders played with the same tenacity they exhibited in back-to-back season-opening wins over the Carolina Hurricanes while taking full advantage of numerous miscues by the Rangers' defensemen.

Newcomers again paced the Islanders. Defenseman Johnny Boychuk scored on the power play, and goaltender Jaroslav Halak made save after save, especially in the middle period, when the Rangers fired 21 shots and scored only once.

John Tavares, the Islanders' captain, scored the type of momentum-altering goal that top-tier players often do, taking a pass from Nikolay Kulemin after a giveaway by defenseman Michael Kostka and snapping the puck past Lundqvist at 15 minutes 3 seconds of the second.

After Okposo's goal 48 seconds into the third off another giveaway in front by Kostka, the Islanders silenced the crowd with goals 30 seconds apart by Brock Nelson and Mikhail Grabovski and defenseman Nick Leddy, at 4:50 and 5:20.

The Islanders are 3-0 for the first time since 2001, and the Rangers have lost three straight after a season-opening victory at St. Louis.

Lundqvist, who allowed all six goals in a 6-3 loss against Toronto before being pulled on Sunday, has allowed more than five goals in consecutive starts for the first time in his career.

In a season after a trip to the Stanley Cup finals, angst is sure to set in if the Rangers fail to reverse that trend soon. The Rangers have allowed 17 goals in their last three games.

Rick Nash continued his offensive surge, opening the scoring at 6:21 of the first and scoring again late in the third. Nash has six goals and is the first Ranger with goals in each of the team's first four games.

The Rangers have yet to score on a power play through four games, failing three times against the Islanders to go 0 for 11 on the season.

After Boychuk's goal at 10:31 of the first, Derick Brassard put the Rangers ahead by 2-1 early in the second, converting a pass from Chris Kreider. And the game was tight, with the Rangers having the better of play until Tavares scored.

Acquired from Boston on Oct. 4, Boychuk, a 30-year-old defenseman, has bolstered the power play with his booming slap shot. He has 5 power-play points with the Islanders after accumulating only 5 such points in 317 career games with the Bruins.

SLAP SHOTS

The Islanders scratched the forwards Colin McDonald and Eric Boulton, plus defenseman Matt Donovan.

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