Rangers Recap: Lafrenière's Hat Trick Lifts Rangers Past Islanders, 5-2

The New York Rangers played host to the New York Islanders for the first meeting of the 2026-27 season between the Empire State rivals. The Rangers came into this one riding a three-game win streak and looked to keep it going against the Islanders, who were riding high following a 6-0 win over the New Jersey Devils.

It would be a special night for Cole Beaudoin, who made his NHL debut and helped make the Rangers one of the youngest teams in the NHL.

With Joe Veleno on injured reserve, Beaudoin would slot in as the fourth-line center, with the rest of the lineup staying the same as it has been.

First Period

It was another fast-paced start here on Broadway as both sides were playing hard and with speed. While the Rangers were held without a shot on goal for almost half the period, they sustained some good offensive-zone pressure and moved the puck well in all areas of the ice.

The Rangers' first shot on goal came almost seven minutes in, and they certainly made it count. In the midst of a line change, Sean Durzi got the puck down low, and an effective forecheck from Alexis Lafrenière helped move the puck back to Oliver Bjorkstrand. His quick shot beat Semyon Varlamov to make it a 1-0 game, securing his first goal as a Ranger.

On the following shift, Alberts Smits was moving the puck well down low in the offensive zone when the Rangers were called for their first penalty of the evening. It was Beaudoin with his first NHL infraction, as he was called for interference with a hit on Tony DeAngelo away from the play. The Rangers were successful in killing off the man advantage and maintaining their early lead.

With just under eight minutes to go in the opening period, J.T. Miller decided to drop the gloves with Brayden Schenn right off a faceoff. The two veterans exchanged some jabs and would sit for close to the remainder of the period.

The Rangers would head to the power play soon after as Victor Eklund was called for holding. Will Cuylle filled in for Miller on the top power-play unit, seeing as the Rangers' captain was sitting in the penalty box. Cuylle certainly took advantage of the opportunity, as he saw a number of chances as the net-front presence with the top unit, but he couldn't find the back of the net.

With three minutes to go, Bo Horvat had a partial breakaway that resulted in Lafrenière getting called for slashing. The Islanders nearly tied the game as a Matthew Schaefer one-timer deflected off some traffic, hit the post, and almost bounced in. Nevertheless, Igor Shesterkin stood tall, helping the Rangers kill the penalty and take their 1-0 lead into the first intermission.

The Islanders would lose Simon Holmstrom as he took a clear attempt from Durzi right to the face. It was a scary sight as the Islanders forward was helped off the ice, but thankfully, he would be all right and returned to action after the intermission.

Despite taking seven minutes to record a shot on goal, the Rangers had a great start to this one, as they were playing aggressively and doing a lot of things right. Shots were 9-5 in favor of the Islanders.

Second Period

It only took the Rangers 25 seconds to add to their lead. A fantastic breakout pass from Mika Zibanejad, who was on his knees in the defensive zone, sent Lafrenière on a break. Opting for a wrist shot, Lafrenière sent the shot off the post and in for his first of the season—2-0 Rangers.

A minute and a half later, the Rangers were back on the penalty kill as Eeli Tolvanen was called for hooking. The surplus of penalties finally cost the Rangers as Matias Maccelli made a nice pass to Horvat in the high slot, and Horvat beat Shesterkin with a quick shot to make it a 2-1 game.

Momentum flipped quickly, and it wasn't long before the game was tied. Both Rangers defensemen were caught below the goal line, and Calum Ritchie finished off a nice individual effort to make it a 2-2 game.

The game slowed down a bit from there, but the Islanders were driving the bus. Schaefer was leading the charge with another dangerous shot that found a goal post. After a dominant shift in the Rangers' end of the ice, Smits nearly found himself in his first career fight as a scrum ensued and veteran Casey Cizikas was tangled up with him. The two went off for roughing, and the teams skated four-on-four for the next two minutes.

With four and a half minutes to go, the Rangers got another chance on the power play as Schenn was called for holding. It was a massive opportunity for the Rangers to regain some momentum, and sure enough, they would find a way to do so. While the top unit couldn't get it done, the second one did, as Bjorkstrand picked up his second of the night to make it a 3-2 game. A great pass from Gabe Perreault found Bjorkstrand, who picked his corner and beat Varlamov with a clean shot.

It was an eventful period, as the Rangers gave up and regained their lead through 40 minutes of play. Shots were now 14-12 Islanders heading into the second intermission.

Third Period

The Rangers went back to the penalty kill five minutes into the third as Tye Kartye was called for holding. This one would be a big challenge, as Kartye has been a key penalty killer for the Rangers in the early part of this season, along with Veleno, who is out with an injury. That next-man-up mentality was on display as Tolvanen stood out with a huge blocked shot to help keep the Islanders from tying the game.

Time was flying off the clock here in the third, and the Zibanejad line nearly extended the Rangers' lead on a pair of scoring chances. Zibanejad himself walked into the slot and pulled off a beautiful move that beat Varlamov but couldn't beat the post. Moments later, he set up Perreault for a shot that went off Varlamov's blocker but stayed out of the net.

The Rangers were doing a great job of preserving their lead, as they were all over the Islanders right through the final minutes of regulation. The Islanders finally pulled the goalie with just under two minutes to go, but it wasn't long before the Rangers picked up the empty-netter. Zibanejad helped clog the neutral zone, which resulted in Lafrenière picking up his second of the night to make it 4-2.

The Islanders would pull the goalie again, and it was Lafrenière again as he finished the night off with a hat trick to secure the 5-2 win, extending the Rangers' win streak to four.

Bjorkstrand and Adam Pelech would drop the gloves for a quick scrap to cap off a hard-fought battle between the New York rivals. Final shots on goal were 24-19 in the Rangers' favor. They'll be back at it Friday night when they visit Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.