After going 1-5 against the Rangers in 2008-09, including 0-3 at the Coliseum, it was two first-year Islanders that made a big impact against their archrival. Winger Matt Moulson, a three-year vet who spent the last two seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, scored the game’s first goal just 55 seconds into the game, taking a lead pass from defenseman Jack Hillen, streaking past the Rangers defenders and snapping a wrist shot past Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist. Moulson leads the team with six goals and 10 points playing on the Isles top line. Moulson gave credit to his teammate for setting up the goal.
               
“Off the turnover, Jack made a great pass, soft pass over two or three sticks and it landed right on mine, walked in on the breakaway and I think I had my head down when I shot it. Running on instincts on that one,” he said.
 
The Isles would take a 2-1 lead into the third period on a power play goal by Kyle Okposo, who shot the puck into a wide-open net off a rebound. The score would hold late into the third period when Isles rookie John Tavares used some aggressive fore checking to force a turnover and slide the puck past Lundqvist for a 3-1 Isles lead to put the icing on the cake. Tavares said that he was trying to set up a teammate when he got his goal.
 
“That was supposed to be a pass, I was trying to get it to Douggie (Weight) back door there, it kind of got blocked and I kind of just threw it again just hoping it would get to him and it got a lucky bounce. I guess that’s what I was trying to do, get the pucks to the net and create some rebounds and get some stuff going on there. It’s always nice when you work hard and sometimes bounces start going your way,” he said. 
 
The Islanders have had trouble finishing off games during the season, but played all 60 minutes against the Rangers with frenetic energy. Moulson said that the entire team was geared up for their first meeting with their archrivals. “Everyone knows the big rivalry even if you haven’t been here in the past. It’s one of the biggest in sports. I think everyone was geared up and ready to go. We played some pretty strong games the recently and it seems like everything just came together for us today,” he said. “Tonight I think we just kept things a lot simpler, got it out when we had to, didn’t force anything just chipped it out and chipped it in. That’s what you have to do when you have the lead late in the game.”
 
Tavares has grown up under the hockey spotlight in Canada, but that couldn’t compare to the Islanders-Rangers rivalry. “That was pretty great to be playing that game. It was loud, it was intense, the pace was high and it was physical, a little bit of tripping out there, getting the rivalry going. Its great to see and its great to be a part of,” he said
 
Tavares, wearing the Hard Hat in the locker room, also got a kick out of hearing chants of “Let’s Go Islanders!” and “Let’s Go Rangers!” throughout the night during a home game. “It gives a lot of energy and both teams are able to feed off that energy and it’s great to hear this place rocking.”