Mika Zibanejad, Kevin Hayes, and the New York Rangers will face off against Anders Lee, Mathew Barzal, and the New York Islanders at the Barclays Center in a cross-town, divisional showdown. The game gets started at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 12, and you’ll be able to watch it live on MSG Plus 2.
New York Rangers at New York Islanders Odds
The Islanders are 24-18 straight up (SU) and have earned 11.8 units for moneyline bettors this season. That winning percentage, the third-best in the Metropolitan Division so far this season, is a surprising turnaround from how the team performed during last year’s regular season (35-47). 23 of their 42 contests have gone under the total, while 15 have gone over and just three have pushed. The team is 10-9 SU at home this year.
The Islanders have converted on 16.9 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated 26th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 76.4 percent of all penalties.
Boasting a .914 save percentage and 25.3 saves per game, Thomas Greiss (15 wins, nine losses, and one OT loss) has been the top option in goal for the Islanders this year. If head coach Barry Trotz decides to rest him, however, the team may go with Robin Lehner (12-10-10 record, .926 save percentage, 2.22 goals against average).
On the other side of the rink, the Rangers are 17-26 straight up (SU) and have lost 3.4 units for moneyline bettors this year. A total of 21 of their outings have gone over the total, while 20 have gone under the total and just one has pushed. As the road team this season, New York is 6-15 SU.
The Rangers have converted on 19.8 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 29th overall and they’ve successfully killed off 74.6 percent of all penalties.
Henrik Lundqvist (29.6 saves per game) has been the primary choice in goal for the Rangers. Lundqvist has 12 wins, 20 losses, and seven OT losses to his credit, while registering a .907 save percentage and 3.08 goals against average this year.
New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders Betting Picks
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner – Islanders, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- 58.3 percent of the Islanders’ wins have come by two or more goals (the team is 14-11 overall in such games) while 41.2 percent of the Rangers’ wins have come by two goals or more (7-15 overall in such games).
- Power plays and penalty kills may be critical in the outcome of this matchup. The Rangers are 5-4 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 11-15 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Islanders are 8-6 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 15-12 when total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- The Rangers are 5-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while the Islanders are 2-3 in shootouts.
- The Rangers are ranked 29th this season with 13.0 giveaways per game. That figure has trended lower lately, however, as they’ve averaged 10.4 giveaways over their last 10 games and 9.2 giveaways over their last five.
- The Islanders have averaged 15.0 giveaways over their last five home games, a rise over their season average of 10.5 giveaways per game (ranked 18th in the league).
- This game features a couple of the more physical defenses in the league. The Rangers have accounted for the league’s sixth-most hits per game (26.5) and the Islanders have handed the seventh-most (24.9).
