Alexis Lafreniere owned the finish at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, recording a hat trick and an assist as the New York Rangers pulled away from the New York Islanders for a 5-2 victory. New York has won four straight and opened its home schedule 3-0-0 after going 4-1-0 through five games.
Lafreniere and Bjorkstrand drive Rangers surge
Oliver Bjorkstrand supplied his first two goals in a Rangers sweater, while Mika Zibanejad set up three scoring plays. Igor Shesterkin turned aside 17 shots as New York regained control after the Islanders erased an early two-goal deficit.
- Bjorkstrand opened the scoring at 6:40 of the first period.
- Lafreniere scored 25 seconds into the second to put the Rangers ahead 2-0.
- After the Islanders tied it, Bjorkstrand’s power-play goal at 17:07 of the second made it 3-2.
- Lafreniere sealed the result with empty-net markers at 18:22 and 18:54 of the third period.
The opening goal began with Lafreniere pressuring Matthew Schaefer along the end boards in the Islanders’ end. Lafreniere worked the puck into the right circle, where Bjorkstrand buried a one-timer over Semyon Varlamov’s left shoulder on New York’s first shot on net.
Zibanejad created the Rangers’ second goal from deep in his own zone. Down on his knees, he sent a long pass ahead to Lafreniere in the neutral zone. Lafreniere entered the left circle and beat Varlamov to the far side.
Islanders answer before power-play swing
The Islanders, now 1-2-0, pushed back quickly in the second period. Bo Horvat converted on the power play at 2:56, one-timing Matias Maccelli’s pass from the left circle past Shesterkin. Calum Ritchie then leveled the game at 2-2 at 4:52.
New York’s power play broke that tie late in the period. Bjorkstrand took a wrist shot from the left face-off circle and beat Varlamov short side, restoring the Rangers’ lead with 2:53 remaining in the frame.
Lafreniere’s empty-net pair completed the four-point night and gave the Rangers a decisive cushion after the Islanders brought Varlamov to the bench for an extra attacker.
Varlamov returns after lengthy absence
Varlamov made 19 saves in his first NHL appearance since Nov. 29, 2024, ending a 676-day gap between games. The Islanders goaltender returned after partial replacement procedures on both knees.
Brayden Schenn collected two assists for the Islanders, who found their footing after the first intermission but could not solve the Rangers once Bjorkstrand’s late second-period strike put New York back in front.
The Rangers’ quick start at the Garden is a sharp reversal from last season, when they dropped their first seven home games and did not reach three home victories until Dec. 2.
