Rangers blow 3-goal lead, lose to Islanders in preseason home opener

September 23, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

The New York Rangers let a 3-0 lead slip away in their preseason home opener Tuesday night, falling 4-3 to the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden.

Penalties proved to be the Blueshirts undoing. The Islanders received five straight power plays and capitalized with three power-play goals, including Mattias Maccelli’s game-winner at 9:29 of the third period.

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The Rangers remain winless through two preseason contests after falling 3-2 to the New Jersey Devils on Monday night. The Islanders scored four unanswered goals over the final 28:24 of regulation to improve to 1-1-0 in preseason action. Matthew Schaefer and Maccelli factored on each of the club’s final three scores, finishing with a game-high three points apiece.

Physicality ran rampant as both clubs dressed most of their NHL regulars for the first time this preseason. There was one fight, when 20-year-old Rangers forward Liam Greentree dropped the gloves with 6-foot-3 Islanders veteran defeseman Scott Mayfield and earned a hard-fought draw.

Greentree and the Rangers’ newcomers impressed despite the final score. Rookie center Cole Beaudoin — acquired in the Vincent Trocheck trade — scored the game-opening goal, assisted by veteran additions Sean Durzi and Eeli Tolvanen. Pavel Dorofeyev etched his name into the scoring column in the second period, assisted by free-agent signee Oliver Bjorkstrand. Rookie defenseman Alberts Smits (No. 5 overall 2026) turned heads as well with a primary assist on Taylor Raddysh’s goal, and steady defensive play, highlighted by a nifty stick check on Islanders captain Bo Horvat in the first period.

Igor Shesterkin played two full periods in his 2026 preseason debut, stopping 18 of 20 shots. Veteran backup Spencer Martin relieved the former Vezina Trophy winner in the third period and allowed two power-play goals on eight shots.

Islanders goalies Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov split time evenly. Varlamov earned the win, stopping all nine shots he faced in his first taste of NHL action since Nov. 29, 2024, following two partial knee replacement surgeries.

Rangers lose 4-3 to Islanders after late-game collapse

The Rangers jumped out to a 3-0 lead with new additions factoring in all three scores.

Skating with a 6-on-5 advantage thanks to a delayed Islanders penalty, Durzi controlled the puck at the point and fired a shot wide right. Tolvanen corralled the rebound off the backboards and quickly backhanded it across to Beaudoin, who jammed it past Sorokin at 8:23 of the first period.

Dorofeyev showcased his quick release in the second period, unleashing a blistering one-timer over Sorokin’s glove at 6:03. Smits set up the next Rangers goal just one minute and 17 seconds later, sending a pass to the middle that Raddysh redirected in at 7:20.

Pavel Dorofeyev with a bullet of a shot makes it 2-0 #NYYR pic.twitter.com/1h0B5JwnSQ
— David 🏒 (@DaveyUpper) September 23, 2026

Shesterkin silenced the Islanders after an interference penalty on Tolvanen, gloving sharp wristers from Schaefer and Calum Ritchie in quick succession — two of four impressive glove saves that the Rangers’ starting netminder made in 39:36 of ice time Tuesday.

But the back half of regulation belonged to the Islanders. Kyle MacLean got them on the board at 11:36 of the second, capitalizing on a defensive lapse by the Rangers in front of the crease, with a quick shot that clipped Shesterkin’s mask on its way into the net.

Schaefer cut the Rangers’ lead to 3-2 after a hooking penalty on Beaudoin. The reigning Calder Trophy winner fired a shot that trickled in with 2:13 left in the second, aided by a fortuitous bounce off the post that caromed off Shesterkin.

The Islanders netted two more power-play goals in the third period, both off Maccelli’s stick. He tied the game 3-3 at 4:02 of the third, slinging a sharp-angle shot that clipped Durzi’s skate and slipped through Martin. Five minutes and 27 seconds later, he gave the Islanders their first lead of the night. With Alexis Lafreniere in the box for high-sticking, Schaefer sent a hard shot off Martin’s pad. Maccelli pounced on the rebound before the Rangers goalie could recover and swept a backhander into the open net.

Martin headed off for the extra attacker with 2:50 left in regulation, but Varlamov withstood the final flurry, stopping three shots in the final 86 seconds of regulation.

The Rangers host the Devils on Garden ice Thursday night for their third of four preseason contests following an off day Wednesday.

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