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The New York Islanders fans were left disappointed with their club for squandering a 4-1 lead to their arch-rivals, the New York Rangers, in a thrilling Stadium Series clash at Met Life Center on Sunday.
The Met Life Center in New Jersey was sold out, with 79,690 fans in attendance. The Blue Shirts got off to a quick start, with Erik Gustafsson giving them an early lead at 1:28 in the first period.
Just moments after the first goal, Rangers' rookie forward Matt Rempe made an unforgettable debut. The 21-year-old Calgary native dropped his gloves against the Isles' Matt Martin in his first NHL game, making the "Battle of New York" more intense and entertaining to watch.
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Nevertheless, the New York Islanders responded with three goals from Brock Nelson, Bo Horvat and Matthew Barzal, leading 3-1 at the end of the first period.
Andre Lee then extended the Isles' lead to 4-1, but they were unable to capitalize on the three-goal cousin as the Rangers rallied from a 4-1 deficit to tie the game 5-5 in the third period.
It didn't take much for the Rangers, as Artemi Panarin scored the winner 10 seconds into overtime to clinch a dramatic 6-5 win over their arch-rivals. Here's how New York Islanders fans reacted to the defeat on X, formerly Twitter.
One fan tweeted:
"CHOKE OF THE CENTURY"
Another chimed in:
"Someone needs to do a compilation video of all the blown leads the Isles have this year"
Here are some of the other top reactions on X:
With the Stadium Series win, the New York Rangers extended their winning streak to a season-high seven. Notably, it also marked the 18th comeback victory of the season for the Rangers, who're tied with the New Jersey Devils and Dallas Stars.
The Rangers return to the ice when they face the Stars next Tuesday, Feb. 20.
What's next for the New York Islanders?
The defeat to the Rangers marked the third consecutive loss for the Islanders, who had previously lost to the Seattle Kraken and Calgary Flames.
The Islanders are fifth in the Metro Division with 58 points (22-18-14) and are four points off the second-placed Detroit Red Wings in the wild card race.
The New York Islanders are 3-3-4 in their last ten outings and will hope to improve that record when they travel to PPG Paints Arena to face the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday, Feb. 20.
