The ever-evolving Battle of New York will enjoy one more regular-season clash on Saturday before the Rangers and Islanders potentially take their feud to the playoffs for the first time in three decades.
Whether or not Matt Rempe is a part of the Rangers playoff lineup — or if the Isles are even their first-round opponent — is still yet to be seen, but all signs at practice on Friday point to the 6-foot-8 ½ forward suiting up for at least this highly-anticipated rematch of Tuesday’s game on Long Island.
It should come as no surprise that Peter Laviolette would call on Rempe for this game, after the Rangers head coach called the Islanders out in his postgame press conference for a couple instances he took issue with in his club’s 4-2 loss.
New York Rangers center Matt Rempe. Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports
The top of that list being Mika Zibanejad’s open-ice collision with Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech.
Laviolette called it “vicious” and said he thought it was intentional, which Isles head coach Patrick Roy and Pelech both vehemently denied.
“They’re looking for two points,” said Laviolette, who declined to confirm anything about the Rangers lineup. “I guarantee and promise you we’re looking for two points, as we were the other night. I know because of that it could be a good game, a competitive, spirited game.”
With Rempe slotting into his usual spot on the right wing of the fourth line next to Barclay Goodrow and Jimmy Vesey, Jonny Brodzinski looked like the odd-man out of the Rangers lineup during practice.
The Rangers may also have a different-looking defense core on Saturday.
Mika Zibanejad is injured after a third-period collision with Adam Pelech during the Islanders’ 4-2 win over the Rangers. Zibanejad returned to the bench later in the game. Getty Images
After a tough performance on Thursday against the Flyers, Jacob Trouba and K’Andre Miller were split up at practice.
Miller was reunited with Braden Schneider, who he skated with during Trouba’s 11-game absence with a lower-body injury, while the Rangers captain skated on the bottom pairing with Erik Gustafsson.
The Ryan Lindgren-Adam Fox pairing remained intact.
“We practiced a different way today just to look at it,” Laviolette said.
Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury will serve as one of three assistant general managers — along with the Devils’ Tom Fitzgerald and the Panthers’ Bill Zito — for Team USA in the NHL’s Four Nations Face-off and the 2026 Olympics.
They will work under the Wild’s Bill Guerin, who was previously named general manager for both teams.
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