Are The Islanders Better Than The Rangers ?

[DitchMarner]

Did the Rangers lose 7-0 to the Penguins this week?


But no, the Islanders aren't better than the Rangers.

 

[Grifter3511]

Yet the Isles are only six back.

Yay for parity and a broken points system?

I think the Islanders are quieter than the Rangers.

I do respect a team that can manage to burn a few villages without raising an alarm.

 

[Zeeker]

Islanders have had a disappointing start to the season, while the Rangers have had a very hot start a la the Devils last season.

A lot can of course change as things even out throughout the season, but this feels like a troll post, or jinx post, or what have you - weird this hasn’t been closed.

 

[unicornpig]

Think they're better suited for the playoffs

 

[miscs75]

Did the Rangers lose 7-0 to the Penguins this week?


But no, the Islanders aren't better than the Rangers.

The Oilers say otherwise on their recent trip to the tri-state area.

 

[Golden_Jet]

No, one team has won more mini games after the hockey game.

It’s 2023 and people STILL don’t know how the point system works and say “loser point” and the like. It’s crazy.

One team has 5 wins in extra time, and 1 loser point. For 6 points in extra time total.

One team has 4 wins in extra time, and 9 loser points. For 13 points in extra time total.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Yes AINEC

 

[SI90]

No. They aren't. Not only did the Golden Knights just do it, but the Rangers beat them as well. Ironically, both of them did it in regulation as opposed to OT, which is the only reason the Islanders are as high up in the standings as they are.

The Islanders have 17 wins and 18 losses. By regulation, the have 13 wins, which ties them for 4th-6th in the division. They have 9 OTL, most in the NHL. They have the 11th fewest regulation wins in the league.

Every season it seems there is a team that will be the "loser point" (or whatever you want to call it) champion that by points looks way better than they are. Right now, that's the Islanders.

Not saying they are awful, but it's a VERY unfavorable comparison to be discussing them with the best of the NHL right now. Rangers are 1st in points and points percentage, and 3rd in regulation wins with multiple games in hand on #1 and #2.

Thanks for the correction. Also, I acknowledged the isles being kept alive by the loser point

 

[Raspewtin]

threads like these just feel like reaction bait

 

[miscs75]

Thanks for the correction. Also, I acknowledged the isles being kept alive by the loser point

Aka the Islanders are their own kryptonite. If they could hold a 3rd period lead, they’d be ahead of the Rangers by 2-3 points. I think there was maybe 5 games where they truly lost and didn’t have a lead at all during the game.

 

[Dfence033]

Aka the Islanders are their own kryptonite. If they could hold a 3rd period lead, they’d be ahead of the Rangers by 2-3 points. I think there was maybe 5 games where they truly lost and didn’t have a lead at all during the game.

That doesn't appear true. I see 4 games the Islanders had a lead into the 3rd period and lost - 3 of them went to OT. None were more than a 1 goal lead.

Edit: Correction, they were up 4-2 over the Devils who won 5-4 in OT, so 1 game was 2 goals.

Assume that they held and won all 4, that's 5 extra points. The Islanders are 6 back with 1 more played. And this being hypothetical "best case."

Again, not saying they are awful, but they aren't a comparison to the Rangers or any top teams in the NHL this season so far.

 

[seafoam]

The Islanders have been missing their de facto shutdown pair (Pelech-Pulock) for over a month and Sorokin has been shaky at best.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

I'll just say this from the get-go, I despise the Rags. However, they are the better team so far this year. Shesterkin isn't even playing all that well and they are still leading the division. Their 5 on 5 play isn't great, but the PP is outstanding.

As for the Isles, I really thought they were done with that losing streak earlier in the season. So, kudos to them for righting the ship. They too have an outstanding goalie and play a tight system. The loser points have really helped them out.

Same story as last year. It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out the rest of the way.

 

[Dfence033]

The Islanders have been missing their de facto shutdown pair (Pelech-Pulock) for over a month and Sorokin has been shaky at best.

True, but Shesterkin had been shaky for the Rangers for their first three months and lost Fox - arguably one of the top 2 defenseman in the entire league, almost inarguably one of the top 3 - for 30% of their games.

All this is to still answer the question the OP proposed: "Are the Islanders better than the Rangers?"

No, and the comparison is nearly insulting. The Islanders are a top-end-of-mediocre team that has lost more games than they've won more than 40% of the way through their season.

The Rangers currently lead the entire league in wins, points, and points percentage.

 

[Riseonfire]

One team has 5 wins in extra time, and 1 loser point. For 6 points in extra time total.

One team has 4 wins in extra time, and 9 loser points. For 13 points in extra time total.

You don’t get points for losing the game but nice try.

 

[boredmale]

Every season it seems there is a team that will be the "loser point" (or whatever you want to call it) champion that by points looks way better than they are. Right now, that's the Islanders.

Personally I see an OTL as a earned point and any point in O/T or S/O as a gimmick point

 

[doomscroll]

No, one team has won more mini games after the hockey game.

It’s 2023 and people STILL don’t know how the point system works and say “loser point” and the like. It’s crazy.

The Rangers only have one more overtime win than the Islanders. In regulation the Rangers are 19-9, the Islanders are 13-9.

 

[SeanAveryTheGreatOne]

Islanders fans gearing up for the playoffs... they got that fire in their eyes... a countdown on the wall... only 32 overtime losses to win the Cup

 

[Jester9881]

I can't make an honest assessment of the Islanders until their defense is healthy. How many games have they played this season with their complete defense? Two full games maybe? Mayfield was playing hurt for a month and was a shell of himself... he and Pelech are a big part of their PK which has suffered massively in their absence. Many of those OTL's were leads they gave up late because they're running a patched-together defense.

 

[Dfence033]

Personally I see an OTL as a earned point and any point in O/T or S/O as a gimmick point

However anyone sees it is fine by me. I'm not here to argue the merits or semantics. But the NHL makes several differentiations between regulation, OT, and shootouts and how they treat both the winners and losers of each scenario, and likewise do most of their fans.

The reality is the Islanders have 17 wins of any type and 18 losses of any type (-1). To compare them to a team that has 24 wins and 10 losses of any type (+14) is not a great look.

I don't think the Islanders are a below .500 team, and I think you'll see their record normalize a bit once they are healthier, but they are currently propped up by the after-regulation point, regardless how anyone would like to term it or view it.

 

[Konk]

I can't make an honest assessment of the Islanders until their defense is healthy. How many games have they played this season with their complete defense? Two full games maybe? Mayfield was playing hurt for a month and was a shell of himself... he and Pelech are a big part of their PK which has suffered massively in their absence. Many of those OTL's were leads they gave up late because they're running a patched-together defense.

This is the part everyone is missing. Everyone wants to bring up loser points, but no one mentions missing half of their defense and three most reliable defensive defenders. One of them, Pelech, is one of the best defensive defensemen in the entire league.

I get the Rangers are missing Fox, but that's still one player. Isles are missing half of their defense group, including their entire top pair from the past few years. That is not insignificant nor any less important just because the Rangers are missing Fox. And despite those injuries, the Isles are doing pretty well.

Now the question is, how much better can they be when the other half of their D corpse is healthy?

 

[gimbznyr]

Islanders have been playing pretty solid hockey given expectations but no they're better than the rangers lol.

 

[miscs75]

That doesn't appear true. I see 4 games the Islanders had a lead into the 3rd period and lost - 3 of them went to OT. None were more than a 1 goal lead.

Edit: Correction, they were up 4-2 over the Devils who won 5-4 in OT, so 1 game was 2 goals.

Assume that they held and won all 4, that's 5 extra points. The Islanders are 6 back with 1 more played. And this being hypothetical "best case."

Again, not saying they are awful, but they aren't a comparison to the Rangers or any top teams in the NHL this season so far.

I think it’s something like 14 multi leads that they blew. Most of which are losses as a result. That’s quite a bit of points squandered due to the inability to lock it down late in games. If they held the leads like I said, they’d be among the elite of the league. The power play is among the best and they have 4 players producing close to or at a PPG pace.
I think it’s more of think the Islanders and think of it as a fluke vs them having the potential and showing they can be among the top. People saw Pittsburgh sign EK65 and thought they’d be a top team in the league but fail to remember they didn’t really change anything else from last season that was a down season for them.

 

[DVision44]

No, one team has won more mini games after the hockey game.

It’s 2023 and people STILL don’t know how the point system works and say “loser point” and the like. It’s crazy.

Smh... you lose a game and get a point... by definition that is a "loser point"

 

[NYI365]

The entire league has been playing under the same OTL "Loser Point" rules since the day the tie was eliminated. The Rangers had 13 of their own last year. Last I checked they're still a good team. Hate the game, not the player.

These things tend to even themselves out over a full 82. The Isles are more close to who they been the last 20 games (Points in 17 out of their last 20) than who they were at the beginning of the season and during the 7 game losing streak. Sorokin is coming on and the defense/blown leads will improve when Pulock,. Mayfield and Pelech return.

If the Rangers lost 3 of Miller, Trouba, and Lindgren and have gotten points in 17/20 games the entire board wouldn't hear the end of it. The Isles have been deploying a rotation of Romanov, Dobson, Mike Reilly, Robert Bortuzzo, Samuel Bolduc, Sebastian Aho, and Grant Hutton during this time period. Points in 17/20 with THAT D? That's impressive.

The Isles are good, not passed the NYR yet, but they're good.