5 Takeaways: Isles Open Preseason with 4-0 Win Over Rangers

The New York Islanders opened up their preseason on the right note, beating the New York Rangers 4-0 on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.
Cal Clutterbuck had a goal and two assists, while Casey Cizikas (1G, 1A), Brock Nelson and Ross Johnston (1G, 1A) scored for the Islanders. Ilya Sorokin and Jakub Skarek combined for the 28-save shutout.
While it doesn't count in the standings, there are still lessons to be learned from the exhibition contest. Here are five takeaways from the first tune up.

Video: Condensed Game: Islanders @ Rangers

ROOKIES GET EXPERIENCE, VETERANS GET THE GOODS:

Barry Trotz wanted a look at some of his younger players on Sunday night, icing a lineup that included Aatu Raty, Simon Holmstrom and Robin Salo, but it was his veterans who led the Islanders to a preseason win.
"Real key is the professionalism of our veteran guys," Trotz said. "They played like pros They didn't just put the uniform on and not play. You saw that with Casey and Clutter. They don't know how to play any other way. They are just good pros."
Nelson opened the scoring, tucking in a rebound to finish off some quality cross-ice passing from Richard Panik and Josh Bailey at 11:28 of the first. Cizikas beat Alexandar Georgiev with a nice backhand-to-forehand move cutting across the crease at 17:06 of the first, while Clutterbuck deposited a backhander on a second-effort play at 12:44 of the second. Johnston recorded his first goal of the preseason at 4:50 of the third period, as he batted a cross-ice feed from Clutterbuck out of the air and past Adam Huska.
That line was easily the most effective for the Islanders on Sunday, setting a good example for the young guys.
"This was just us trying to go out there and pay attention to detail, have the veterans kind of try to lead the rookies and show them the way," Clutterbuck said. "The first one you want to get in there, get your bumps get your details down, stop and start and do the right things, so just try to focus on that and do a decent job."
Trotz iced both a veteran-laden power-play unit and a youth unit, but relied on his veterans on the penalty kill. Cizikas and Clutterbuck started the PK, while Leo Komarov, Nelson and Bailey all saw some time shorthanded.

SOROKIN LOOKS SHARP WITH CLEAN SHEET:

Ilya Sorokin looked sharp in his first preseason action, maintaining a clean sheet in just over half the game.
Sorokin was officially credited with 13 saves, but it was likely more as the shot counter was not up and running in the early part of the first period, when the netminder was at his busiest.
His best stop came on a shorthanded breakaway for Chris Kreider, who didn't have an Islander within 30 feet of him on the uncontested chance. Kreider looked to pull a backhand deke on Sorokin, but the goalie stuck with him all the way, sprawling out and stopping him with the left pad and his glove.
"He's just really solid, his game is just really good," Clutterbuck said. "It's good to see him come back after a summer and still be sharp."
Sorokin gave way to Jakub Skarek for the back half of the game. Skarek stopped all 15 shots he faced.

GUSTAFSSON GRABS TWO ASSISTS:

Erik Gustafsson recorded two assists in his first preseason game as an Islander, as he looks to turn a PTO into a spot with the team.
Gustafsson started the game on a pairing with Ryan Pulock and saw some time on the power play. The 29-year-old picked up a secondary assist on Cizikas' goal and looked good moving the puck up the ice. Gustafsson was also one of two Islanders to converge on a puck during the team's first power play, which left Kreider undetected for his shorthanded breakaway, a decision Trotz said he thinks the blueliner probably wants back.
That said, Trotz felt the Swede made amends for his error, not only by recording two assists, but making a heads up play in the defensive zone in the second period.
"I was really happy with him," Trotz said. "Two assists and they were high-skilled plays. You see how he moves the puck and how he can use his skating ability. Happy with his play. As he gets used to us and how we want him to play and hopefully he gets better and better."

ISLES GET TIME TO WORK ON SPECIAL TEAMS:

The Islanders haven't spent any time on special teams through four days of training camp, but the game group had plenty of reps at MSG.
The Islanders had over eight minutes of power-play time, aided by Barclay Goodrow's five-minute boarding major for a hit on Kyle MacLean. The Rangers took a penalty on the ensuing Islanders power play, giving the Isles a chance to work on their five-on-three formation, though it was interrupted by an Islanders too many men call.
That also gave the Islanders a chance to play four-on-three, which resulted in Cizikas' power-play marker.
Trotz said he didn't put a ton of stock into the special teams in preseason, mostly focusing on five-on-five play, but credited his veterans' work on the penalty kill.

SCRIMMAGE RESULTS:

Meanwhile, back on Long Island... the Islanders held a scrimmage on Sunday for the non-game group.
Team White beat Team Blue 3-2 in a shootout. Anthony Beauvillier and Oliver Wahlstrom scored in the shootout to propel Team White to the win, while Blade Jenkins and Collin Adams scored for Team White in regulation. Austin Czarnik scored both goals for Team Blue.
The teams played three 20-minute periods with a solid pace. Both teams iced three full lines, but Team White iced five defensemen to Team Blue's six.
Noah Dobson and Zdeno Chara skated as a d-pairing for Team Blue, looking to build some chemistry. Zach Parise, JG Pageau and Oliver Wahlstrom also skated as a trio for Team White in another notable grouping.