The Rangers don’t have to scour their memories too much to remember what happened the last time they played the Islanders.
“They’re a big rival of ours and they smacked us 7-2,” center Kevin Hayes said.
It was Jan. 13, just after both teams had rested up during a bye week, and the Rangers didn’t show much life in the Garden matinee.
Entering Thursday’s rematch at Barclays Center, the Rangers are looking to snap a five-game losing streak against the Islanders.
“We’re due, I think,” said coach Alain Vigneault, whose Rangers haven’t beaten the Islanders since the 2016-17 season opener. “We haven’t been real good against the Islanders in the last few games. I think we’re due to have a real solid game, a full 200-foot game at both ends.”
The teams are separated by just one point at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division standings. Although the Rangers could be trading away some key pieces before the Feb. 26 deadline after publicly declaring their plan to rebuild, they could also be very active in the playoff race — and potentially help keep the Islanders out of the postseason.
“Anyone that’s been around our team knows about the rivalry,” Vigneault said. “We got a couple new faces that maybe don’t. So they’re going to get initiated [Thursday] about what it is, Rangers against the Islanders. It should be good for everybody.”
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Winger Pavel Buchnevich returned to practice Wednesday in a red non-contact jersey. It was Buchnevich’s first practice since getting knocked out of a Feb. 1 game against the Maple Leafs with a concussion.
The 22-year-old Buchnevich had tallied 13 goals and 19 assists in 50 games before the injury. He will skate Thursday morning with the Rangers’ scratches and should ditch the non-contact jersey for Friday’s practice.
“After that it’s just a matter of him and our docs sorting things out,” Vigneault said. “Everything’s going well.
Veteran defenseman Marc Staal, on injured reserve with a neck injury, has been skating and is “doing better,” Vigneault said. He has not played or practiced since Feb. 3 and Vigneault did not have a projected timetable for his return.
Captain Ryan McDonagh, who is expected to miss a fourth straight game Thursday, is still day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
“There’s not much more there I can say,” Vigneault said.