WATCH Rangers vs. Islanders Live Stream Online: NHL Rivals 2016, Free Playoff Updates

Hockey's back for the official 2015-2016 NHL season, so get ready, MstarsNews readers!

The New York Rangers battle it out on the ice against the New York Islanders in Week 14 of the regular season on Thursday, January 14 at 7:00 p.m. EST from the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn. Read on to see where fans can watch and listen to a live stream of the highly-anticipated Thursday evening hockey game online and catch up-to-date feeds and coverage on highlight plays and scores.

Now heading into mid-season, both New York teams snag rather neutral spots in Scott Burnside's official NHL power rankings for ESPN.com, while the Islanders lag just a bit behind (out of a total 30 teams):

Rangers (15): "Something is still amiss with the boys in blue. A big win over the Stars last week was followed up by a disappointing loss in overtime to the Caps on Saturday. The Rangers have the Bruins, Islanders, Flyers and Capitals this week. Another off week and that once-comfortable playoff spot could become precarious."

Record: 23-14-5 (2nd in Metropolitan Division).

Islanders (17): "Speaking of precarious, the Islanders are out of sync after losing three of four and have given up 18 goals as they try to battle through injuries to key defenders."

Record: 23-15-5 (3rd in Metropolitan Division).

Tonight's NYC game will be broadcasted live on your local sports channels MSG(+) and TVA.

For fans who want to try out a free live stream (which may mean downloading a torrent), click here. Also try this or another option.

For a one-time fee, fans can access a NHL Gamecenter Live pass.

ESPN, ESPN Scoreboard, and NHL.com  are both good sources for up-to-date game coverage and feeds.

More radio listening options for Rangers and Islanders.

Official NHL team websites: Rangers and Islanders.

Enjoy tonight's highly-anticipated hockey game from the East Coast, and always stick with MstarsNews for even more NHL gameday coverage later this week. Which division rival will snag the big win tonight?