NYC: Icy and dicey

🏒Islanders: It’s been up-and-down for the Isles, who beat the New Jersey Devils 4–1 on Thursday before losing to them 2–0 last night. Thursday’s game showed the Isles’ grit, including that of forward Brock Nelson, who left the game with a bloodied face only to later return to the ice and score. That’s the Long Island spirit.

• Then last night, not a single shot could find the back of the net. The highlight? Goalie Ilya Sorokin made 22 saves. Without Sorokin’s heroism, the score could’ve been much worse.

🏒Rangers: The Rangers took their third-straight loss last night, falling to the Pittsburgh Penguins 3–2. Head coach David Quinn isn’t afraid to switch up the lineup, and last night he benched center Brendan Lemieux and defenseman Jack Johnson, players who saw the ice in the team’s first four games.

• Colin Blackwell replaced Lemieux, stepping in and scoring his first goal as a Ranger. Despite the loss, the game was tight, so it will be interesting to see if Quinn makes any of last night’s swaps permanent.

🏀Nets: The Nets face the Miami Heat again tonight at 7:30 p.m. after winning a close battle on Saturday. Brooklyn’s plan for their star-powered offense has been effective so far, but you never know when it could get sniffed out.