Alexis Lafrenière scored three goals last Tuesday night to lead the Rangers to a 5-2 win over the Islanders.

The victory in the first “Battle of New York” for 2026-2027 gave fans hope for a team many of them barely recognize. The Rangers overhauled their roster in the offseason after finishing 29th out of 32 NHL teams last year, and fans said they are learning who is on the ice. Four straight wins have the Rangers at 4-1-0 and first in the Metropolitan Division, one of the NHL’s four divisions and home to both New York teams.

Once the game started, the Rangers jumped out to a 2-0 lead, and the Islanders tied it early in the second period. The Rangers then scored three more goals, from late in the second period into the third. Oliver Bjorkstrand scored two of the Rangers’ goals.

With a minute left, Lafrenière scored his third of the night, a feat known as a hat trick, and fans tossed their hats onto the ice, a hockey tradition. It was Lafrenière’s third career hat trick, as he enters his seventh season in the league, all spent with the Rangers. The game was also the NHL debut for 20-year-old Cole Beaudoin.

During the off season, the Rangers acquired some key players, including Bjorkstrand, who signed a one-year contract. The biggest move was a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights for Pavel Dorofeyev, who signed a seven-year $77 million contract.

Outside the Garden before the game, Joe Spinelli, a Rangers’ fan for 35 years, said he almost didn’t recognize the team when he saw the roster, because they got rid of so many players. But the Rangers’ current win streak has given him hope that the young players are a good change the team needed.

Sud Kar, another longtime Rangers’ fan, said he doesn’t know what to expect.

“They look good so far, but I don’t even know who’s on the team anymore,” Kar said. 

Anthony Bradica, a Rangers fan who came to the game with three friends who root for the Islanders, said the Rangers added “some big name guys in the off season” and he wants to see what roles the younger players fill.

Bragging rights are on the line between Bradica and Michael Fields, one of his friends who’s an Islanders fan. Fields said he would have spent the rest of the season “bothering” Bradica if the Islanders had won.

Lauren Mzeo, an Islanders fan, came to the game with her dad, a Rangers fan. She said that when she started watching hockey, her father was already rooting for the Rangers, so she decided she’d “rather go against” him and “be an Islanders fan.” 

The Rangers and Islanders will play three more times this season to compete for the Battle of New York title.

Spinelli is willing to wait and see who is crowned. 

“The thing about hockey is, you put the best team on paper, they usually don’t win,” he said “It’s usually when guys have chemistry and play with each other. So maybe, they could find something with these young guys and this could be the start of something.”