Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers and Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders are buddies – most of the time. The two Russian goalies have known one another since they were 16. They’ve played against each other in the KHL (Shesterkin for St.

Jonny Brodzinski scored twice, Urho Vaakanainen had a goal and two assists and the Rangers beat the crosstown-rival Islanders 5-1 on Tuesday night.

What else to think after the Islanders came up so small in the season’s biggest moment — a must-win game against the rival Rangers with both teams hoping to squeeze through a crowded field and secure an Eastern Conference wild-card berth.

The New York Rangers continued their recent dominance over the cross-town rival Islanders, going into UBS Arena on Tuesday night and romping to a 5-1 victory. The Rangers have won six of their last seven meetings with the Islanders,

Jonny Brodzinski and Urho Vaakanainen each had an NHL career-high three points to power the New York Rangers past the New York Islanders 5-1 on Tuesday at UBS Arena. The win was their second straight and fifth in the past seven games.