It's a tale of two hockey teams in New York right now - the Rangers look a little worse than most thought they would and the Islanders look a whole lot better.
Granted, the season is young and early conclusions rarely prove correct over the long-haul of a grueling, 82-game campaign.
But, after Tuesday night's 6-3 victory for the Islanders over the Rangers, it's hard not to think that maybe the young Islanders have finally taken that elusive step forward, and that maybe the Rangers improbable playoff run was more fluke than fact.
The Islander's Kyle Okposo scored his 100th NHL goal to snap a tie early in the third period, and the Islanders put the pedal to the metal, scoring four more goals in the final frame to beat the Rangers - handily.
The Islanders (3-0) remain perfect on the season, though two of their victories came against the toothless Carolina Hurricanes. It's the first time since 2001 they've been undefeated in the first three games of a season.
For the Rangers (1-3), it was their third straight loss.
The Rangers had extended pressure on Islanders' goalie Jaroslav Halak throughout the second, ending the period with a 21-8 shots advantage, but they managed only a single goal.
"I really liked our first 40 minutes of 5 on 5," Rangers' coach Alain Vigneault said. "The difference in the game was probably the second period. We had numerous Grade-A chances, but couldn't score. Then we made a few mistakes, and they made us pay for it."
Rangers' goalie Henrik Lundqvist was peppered early and often. He allowed at least five goals for the second consecutive game - the first time he's ever done that in his career.
"It's really tough mentally when we play the way we are playing," Lundqvist said. "It's extremely important that we play with smartness all over the ice. I'm playing with good structure, but then I lose my structure a little bit when we as a group lose our structure. Together we need to regroup and be better."
Rick Nash - who was the subject of fan scorn last season after being limited to only 39 points - scored for the fourth straight game for the Rangers, becoming the first player in franchise history to score at least once in each of the team's first four games.
"This is a totally new year," Nash said. "We are aware of how serious it is. We have to correct our game and get a win."
The Rangers held a 43-27 shots edge, but have been outscored 17-8 during their skid. They started last year 1-4 during a season-opening, nine-game road trip, and finished October 5-7 before reaching the Stanley Cup finals.
