HockeyIsles must use sting of Rangers loss to fuel fire by Chris Passarelli January 18, 2020 The Islanders have been treading water over the past few weeks. They’re 5-4-1 in the past ten games, including two losses to the rival New York Rangers. The first loss was a blowout, a 6-1 shellacking at Madison Square Garden. The second loss was inexcusable, a 3-2 regulation loss that at the LEAST should have been an overtime affair.Derick Brassard took a cross-checking penalty with only 30 seconds left in the game. The Ranger subsequently won the faceoff, threw a shot at the net and Chris Kreider stuffed home the rebound in what was essentially a walk-off regulation win.The loss was one of the worst in recent memory, for multiple reasons. For one, the Islanders couldn’t capitalize on five Power Plays and gave up a goal to Tony DeAngelo directly from one of those Power Plays. The Islanders also gave up a tough goal on the Penalty Kill when a Mika Zibanejad shot trickled through Semyon Varlamov and just over the goal line.The toughest pill to swallow was the Brassard penalty and goal afterwards. The officiating was bad all night but there is absolutely no excuse for taking that kind of penalty when you have a point pretty much in the bag. The Islanders now sit five points behind the Penguins in third place in the Metro Division.The most recent loss to the Rangers should fuel the Islanders to play better hockey. You thought maybe they turned another corner when they destroyed the Red Wings 8-2 after the first Rangers loss. However, it wasn’t to be and the Isles took a step back.If the Islanders are going to make the playoffs in a tight division, they need to start now. Use that loss as a launching pad against the Metro leading Capitals and the scrappy Hurricanes. If the Islanders lose both games, they’ll be falling back to a place they don’t want to be in. The Islanders are talented enough to be a top three team in the Metro. Can they use this loss as a way to get back to the top of the pack? Post Views: 626The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest PostsChris PassarelliFootball Editor - Hockey Editor - New York Islanders Lead Writer - New York Lizards Lead Writer - UConn Football Lead WriterLatest posts by Chris Passarelli (see all) NFL Network to Premiere ‘The Top 100 Players of 2020’ on July 26 - July 22, 2020 The ‘Toilet Bowl’ may be coming to Western New York - July 16, 2020 Bigger is Better; SoFi Stadium Completes Largest Videoboard in Sports - July 1, 2020 Smoltz, Vrabel and Brown talk American Century Championship and Everything in Between - June 30, 2020 Related TopicsNew York IslandersNew York Rangers Click to comment You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment.Newsletter SubscriptionCan't Miss Posts! Fighting Words: Bellator is Giving Hardy the Credit She Deserves by Kristine Haugsjaa | posted on October 20, 2017 MetLife Stadium to host Army-Navy Game in 2021 by Kelly Lynn | posted on August 23, 2017 Women in Sports: Ariel Epstein, On-Air Host at SportsGrid (VIDEO) by Anthony Paradiso | posted on March 12, 2021 Women in Sports: NHL Network Host, Jackie Redmond by Nicholas Durst | posted on March 4, 2019 Women in Sports Interview Series: It’s a sure bet with Philadelphia native, Erin Kate Dolan (VIDEO) by Denise Gonzalez | posted on March 17, 2020More in Hockey Tim Peel is Discharged After Caught on Hot MicTim Peel was Discharged from the NHL After He was Caught on the Hot... NHL, Amazon Web Services Partner to Develop New Stats, Data, and InsightsThe National Hockey League (NHL) is partnering with Amazon Web Services (AWS) in an... You Know I’m Right, Episode 81: ESPN’s Arda Ocal (Audio/Video)On the 81st episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 80: MSG Network’s Bill Pidto (Audio/Video)On the 80th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... Getting Frosty? Morgan Frost Selected as Phantoms All-Star Representative Local Hockey Power Rankings- Week 16