So, the Islanders were currently in the midst of a six-game losing streak. Fans of the Broadway Blues read the newspaper daily, thrilled to open up to the sports section and see that the Islanders dropped another game...then another...and another (while the Rangers were winning)...after defeating the Rangers on Dec. 26.
When the Islanders lost to Ottawa on the 27th, all of the conspiracy theorists thought that they had it figured out.
"It's the curse of the Rangers," they cried. Indeed, the Islanders do have a habit of going through an emotional letdown after they play the Rangers, but no one expected the drought to last for six games.
So, with that said, what do the Rangers fans have to say when they seemingly have all the momentum going into last night's game at "The World's Most Famous Arena," and the Islanders get healthy and hand a streaking Rangers team a loss?
It didn't seem likely. After all, the Rangers were riding a four-game winning streak, and the Isles were losers of six straight.
But, as often happens in this rivalry, the unusual happened and the improbable became probable.
So, both streaks come to an end. The Rangers see their winning streak end, and the Islanders snap their six-game losing streak.
Islanders fans may want to start a hex of their own. After all, the Isles have not lost to the Rangers yet this season - that's four games played this year - and apparently there's no pattern to it - the Islanders have beaten the Rangers whether they're hot, the Rangers are hot, they lost their last game, or the Rangers won theirs.
There is no rhyme or reason to this season's dominance for the boys from Nassau over the Broadway boys. Some seasons just turn out that way between these two clubs.
Normally (I'm sorry to say), it's the Rangers who come up with these little streaks. For a while, they had dominated the Islanders so badly - in either team's building - that when the two clubs played in Nassau Coliseum, it appeared that there were more fans at the game from the City than from the Island.
The Rangers even had an unbeaten streak in Long Island that lasted more than a season.
But now, at least for this season, the shoe is on the other foot. The teams have played four games, and the Islanders have won them all.
The Islanders have to feel confident as well as comfortable when they look on the schedule and they see the Rangers on tap. Now, if only they can take that confidence and level of play and use it against the other 29 teams in the NHL. Then, maybe they'll have something that will transcend to the bigger picture - like another NHL championship in Long Island.
When the Islanders lost to Ottawa on the 27th, all of the conspiracy theorists thought that they had it figured out.
"It's the curse of the Rangers," they cried. Indeed, the Islanders do have a habit of going through an emotional letdown after they play the Rangers, but no one expected the drought to last for six games.
So, with that said, what do the Rangers fans have to say when they seemingly have all the momentum going into last night's game at "The World's Most Famous Arena," and the Islanders get healthy and hand a streaking Rangers team a loss?
It didn't seem likely. After all, the Rangers were riding a four-game winning streak, and the Isles were losers of six straight.
But, as often happens in this rivalry, the unusual happened and the improbable became probable.
So, both streaks come to an end. The Rangers see their winning streak end, and the Islanders snap their six-game losing streak.
Islanders fans may want to start a hex of their own. After all, the Isles have not lost to the Rangers yet this season - that's four games played this year - and apparently there's no pattern to it - the Islanders have beaten the Rangers whether they're hot, the Rangers are hot, they lost their last game, or the Rangers won theirs.
There is no rhyme or reason to this season's dominance for the boys from Nassau over the Broadway boys. Some seasons just turn out that way between these two clubs.
Normally (I'm sorry to say), it's the Rangers who come up with these little streaks. For a while, they had dominated the Islanders so badly - in either team's building - that when the two clubs played in Nassau Coliseum, it appeared that there were more fans at the game from the City than from the Island.
The Rangers even had an unbeaten streak in Long Island that lasted more than a season.
But now, at least for this season, the shoe is on the other foot. The teams have played four games, and the Islanders have won them all.
The Islanders have to feel confident as well as comfortable when they look on the schedule and they see the Rangers on tap. Now, if only they can take that confidence and level of play and use it against the other 29 teams in the NHL. Then, maybe they'll have something that will transcend to the bigger picture - like another NHL championship in Long Island.
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