Brock Nelson, Mathew Barzal, and the New York Islanders will do battle against Artemi Panarin, Ryan Strome, and the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden in a Metropolitan Division showdown. The opening face-off is at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, January 13, and it’ll air live on MSG Network.
New York Islanders at New York Rangers Odds
The Islanders (-135) are being tabbed as the favorites over the Rangers (+115) and the Over/Under (O/U) has been placed at an even 6 goals (-110 over, -110 under).
The Islanders are 27-16 straight up (SU) and have earned 8.5 units for moneyline bettors this season. 25 of their contests have gone under the total, while 16 have gone over and just two have pushed. As the road team in 2019-20, the Isles are 13-8 SU.
The Islanders have converted on 18.9 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 18th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 80.0 percent of its penalties..
With a .923 save percentage and 25.7 saves per game, Semyon Varlamov (16-12-4) has been the best option in goal for the Islanders this year. If the Islanders choose to rest him, however, the team may turn to Thomas Greiss (12-8 record, .919 save percentage, 2.59 goals against average).
On the other side of the rink, the Broadway Blueshirts are 21-23 straight up (SU) and have earned 5.0 units for moneyline bettors this season. 22 of their contests have gone over the total, while 21 have gone under and just one has pushed. This season, the team’s 12-10 SU as the home team.
The Rangers have converted on just 20.0 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 21st overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 79.1 percent of all penalties.
Henrik Lundqvist (29.1 saves per game) has been the primary selection in goal for the Rangers. Lundqvist has nine wins, 16 losses, and three OT losses and has registered a subpar .907 save percentage and 3.18 goals against average this year.
New York Islanders vs. New York Rangers Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Rangers, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- A majority (66.7 percent) of the Rangers’ wins have been by two or more goals, and the team is 14-14 overall in such games. 12 of the Islanders’ 27 wins (44.4 percent) have been decided by two or more goals.
- The Rangers are 9-13 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Islanders are 20-9 SU in games where they spend more time in the box than the opposition.
- The Islanders are 3-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while the Rangers are 0-2 in shootouts.
- The Islanders might hold an advantage if this one comes down to the wire. They’re an impressive 15-7 in games decided by one goal, while the Rangers are 7-9 in such games.
- For both of these teams, the over has hit in four of their past five matchups.
- New York skaters have averaged 9.0 giveaways over their last five home games, an improvement from their season average of 15.0 giveaways per game (ranked 32nd in the NHL).
- The Rangers are ranked 30th this season with 13.0 giveaways per game. That figure has trended lower lately, however, as the team’s averaged 11.6 giveaways over its last 10 games and 9.0 giveaways over its last five.
- The Islanders have accounted for the most hits in the league (29.3 per game).
