going to win the race had that yellow not come out, Larson

NEW YORK -- There is never any shortage of drama when the New York Islanders and New York Rangers meet. But the Islanders and Rangers each have far more on their minds than local bragging rights as as they prepare for the latest incarnation of one of hockeys best rivalries.The Islanders will host the Rangers for the first time this season on Tuesday, when the teams are scheduled to meet at Barclays Center. The Rangers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Saturday while the Islanders fell to the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 in overtime on Sunday.Theyre always a lot of fun, Islanders center and captain John Tavares said of the games against the Rangers. Never any love lost in these games, so easy to get up for.While the Rangers (17-8-1) entered Monday atop the Metropolitan Division and just two points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the top overall seed in the Eastern Conference, coach Alain Vigneault expressed concern with his clubs recent inconsistent ways after the Rangers scored three third-period goals to edge the Hurricanes.Were like all the teams, Vigneault told reporters. We need our goaltender to be one of our best players and we need our other best players, whether they are Ds or forwards, to play at the level theyre supposed to.The Rangers have alternated wins with losses in each of their last seven games and are 4-4-1 in their last nine. Despite being in first place, they are just six points ahead of the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals, who are tied for the final wild-card spot in the East.Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist discussed the playoff race Saturday when he said he believed it is going to be a tight one until the end and theres going to be a lot of teams involved. Its going to come down to will -- How badly do you want to win every night? -- because theres so many teams that feel they should be in the race.One of those teams is the Islanders (9-10-5), who had high expectations this season after reaching the second round of the playoffs last spring for the first time since 1993. But they entered Monday tied for last in the Eastern Conference with the Buffalo Sabres.Havent gotten off to a great start this season and we need the two points, Tavares said.The Islanders crawled on to the periphery of the race by winning three straight games before Sundays loss. They are six points behind the Bruins and Capitals -- an imposing gap, but one that is three points smaller than it was just last Monday.I think weve been on the right track the last five or six games, Islanders center Anders Lee said.The Rangers will be without Michael Grabner, who leads the team with 13 goals. Grabner is attending his grandmothers funeral and is expected to return to the team Thursday, when the Rangers visit the Winnipeg Jets. Mets Jerseys 2019 . Its 1987 and a Brazilian playmaker, known as Mirandinha, is being paraded around St James Park to the passionate Newcastle fans. New York Mets Shirts . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. https://www.cheapmetsjerseys.us/ . Sgt. Eric ONeal says most of the arrests at Monday nights game were for public drunkenness, though one person was taken into custody on suspicion of trying to steal a seat from the stadium. Stitched Mets Jerseys . MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez also will attend the session, which was announced Monday. The league has discussed placing its next two expansion teams in Miami and Atlanta. Wholesale Mets Jerseys . According to a report from the Vancouver Province, the Lions are expected to replace former DC Rich Stubler with defensive backs coach Mark Washington. CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Kyle Larson first took off his steering wheel and hung it out the window as he did celebratory burnouts. Then he climbed to the roof of his car and raised his arms in triumph.A day after one of the most demonstrative victory celebrations in at least a decade, Larson seemed sheepish about the exuberance he showed at Michigan International Speedway.I probably went a little overboard, Larson said Monday.Nobody was complaining.Larson gave a rare display -- by NASCAR standards -- of raw emotion after winning his first Sprint Cup Series race Sunday. It came in his 99th start, three long years after he burst onto the national scene with projections of being the next big thing in a sport that hypes up young drivers then spits them out when they fail to produce.Although he was lauded by the top names in NASCAR as one of the most talented drivers to come along in decades, Larson couldnt find his way to victory lane. Part of it came for driving for an organization trying to dig itself out of a downturn, some of it was inexperience and some of it was plain driver error.No matter the excuse, Larson was barely sniffing at the front of the pack and always found himself on the outside of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship field.The outside is a tough place to be when you drive for Chip Ganassi, who fields winning cars in six different series and can be a bit demanding.Theres always pressure from Chip. He loves winners, Larson said Monday. Thats no secret. He says he loves winners in every tweet he sends. Every week he tells us to do the obvious things right, and then you dont do the obvious things right.But Ganassi has shown patience with his NASCAR rebuild and hes got faith in the 24-year-old Larson. When Larson declined to race Matt Kenseth roughly in the closing laps at Dover earlier this summer, Ganassi didnt complain about his driver failing to do whatever it took to win.Its important to understand how massive a Chase berth is for an organization like Ganassi, and when Larson decided to race cleanly against Kenseth, it was a huge missed opportunity to ear that automatic berth into the playoffs.But Ganassi defended Larsons decision that day and was reedeemed on Sunday when Larson beat Chase Elliott on a late restart to claim his victory.ddddddddddddEverybody said `Why didnt you hit him? Why didnt you do this or that? Ganassi said. Thats Kyle. I think its important to understand that these guys are not robots ... theyre all different. Theyre all different personalities.I couldnt be more proud of how hes developed over the last couple of years.So tired of answering when hed finally win a race, Larson had nearly given up Sunday after a slow pit stop cost him the lead. It allowed Elliott to race to a huge advantage that Larson knew he couldnt overcome.Elliott, a rookie, was going to be the next first-time winner and Larson was going to be forced to discuss another race that got away.Then a late caution changed everything and gave Larson a second chance.Thats when the nerves began to take hold.I was relieved that the caution came out because there was absolutely no way I was going to win the race had that yellow not come out, Larson said. I knew what was at stake there on the restart, it was a huge restart. If I dont get the jump, Im going to not make the Chase, not get the win, have to watch Chase get his first win before me. There was just a lot on the line.Larson knew he was better than Elliott on the restarts, but figured Elliott would change something up with the win on the line. Instead, he said Elliott took off in the exact same spot in what turned out to be a tire-spinning poor restart for both drivers.But with a push from Brad Keselowski -- and a fear that he was about to wreck the field -- Larson took off and the checkered flag was finally in sight.The celebration that followed was refreshing and pure: Larson dedicated the win to friend Bryan Clauson, who died from injuries in a sprint car crash earlier this month, then he sat down next to his car to compose himself.It was all emotion, he said. I had spent two or three minutes screaming and running and I was pretty lightheaded. I just wanted to take a second and regain my composure. I didnt need to be passing out in victory lane. ' ' '