Two teams that’ve served a lot of time in the penalty box this season, the New York Islanders and the New York Rangers take the ice at Madison Square Garden. MSG2 will air this divisional matchup, which gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 21.
New York Islanders vs. New York Rangers Odds
The Rangers (-125) are tabbed as the favorites over the Islanders (+105) and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 7 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -105 for the over and -115 for the under.
Earning 4.3 units for moneyline bettors, the Rangers are 11-10 straight up (SU) overall this year. That winning percentage, ranked third in the Metropolitan Division so far in the early season, is a welcomed improvement compared to how the team performed during last year’s regular season (34-48). Out of their 21 regular season contests, 12 of them have gone under the total, while nine have gone over and none have pushed. This season, the team’s 8-3 SU at home.
The Rangers have converted on 20.6 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated 25th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 76.4 percent of all penalties.
As a team, the Rangers have been penalized 4.4 times per game overall this season, and 5.4 per game over their last five games home outings. The team has had to defend opposition power plays for 13.0 minutes per game over their last five home outings.
Averaging 29.4 saves per game with a .919 save percentage, Henrik Lundqvist (8-9-2) has been the primary option in goal for the Rangers this year. If the Broadway Blueshirts choose to give him the night off, however, head coach David Quinn may roll with Alexandar Georgiev (3-2-2 record, .894 save percentage, 3.60 goals against average).
Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad will each be focal points for the Rangers. Kreider (18 points) has tallied 11 goals and seven assists and has recorded multiple points on six separate occasions this year. Zibanejad has seven goals and 10 assists to his credit and has notched at least one point in 12 contests.
The Islanders have netted moneyline bettors 4.9 units this season and are currently 10-9 straight up (SU). Nine of their outings have gone over the total, while eight have gone under the total and just two have pushed. New York’s 5-5 SU as the road team this season.
The Islanders have converted on 18.5 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill unit is ranked 18th overall and they’ve successfully defended 78.5 percent of all opponent power plays.
Islanders players have been penalized 4.3 times per game in total this season, 4.4 per game over their last five games total, and 3.8 per game over their last five on the road. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 7.6 minutes per contest over their last five road games.
Thomas Greiss (2.49 goals against average and .925 save percentage) has been the primary option in goal for the Islanders. Greiss is averaging 25.8 saves per game and owns an 8-4-1 record.
Josh Bailey (six goals, 13 assists) has been one of the top offensive facilitators for the visitors.
New York Islanders at New York Rangers Free Picks
Free NHL Tip: SU Winner – Islanders, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- For both of these teams, the total has gone over in three of their past five matches.
- Power plays and penalty kills may be even more critical than usual in the outcome of this game. The Islanders are 3-4 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 8-5 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Rangers are 3-1 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 7-5 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- The Rangers are 4-0 in games decided by a shootout this season while the Islanders are 1-1 in shootouts.
- The Rangers have averaged 11.6 takeaways per game over their last five home games, an improvement over their season average of 7.7 takeaways per game (ranked 12th in the league).
- The Islanders have forced 7.4 takeaways per game over their last five road games, an improvement over their season average of 6.1 takeaways per game (ranked 27th in the league).
