In a 56-game season, where every game is within the division, and only four of eight teams make it to the playoffs, the race to the postseason for the teams in the NHL’s Eastern Division will be a flat out sprint, and a bad start can kill you.
The Rangers stumbled out of the starting blocks Thursday, when they allowed three first-period goals to their rivals, the Islanders, in the season opener at Madison Square Garden, and ultimately dropped their first game in the Garden in 10 months, 4-0.
The Rangers’ penalty kill, which had been a concern of coach David Quinn entering the season, allowed two goals in the first 40 minutes, and killed five-of-seven Islander power plays.