The New York Islanders have been one of the hottest teams in the National Hockey League of late, winning six out of their last seven games and are coming off of a huge come-from-behind overtime win against the Calgary Flames last night.
The Islanders will be playing the latter half of a back-to-back, which gives the New York Rangers a slight advantage, but it has been a struggle as of late for the team from Manhattan. The Rangers have lost two straight games and can’t seem to find consistent goal-scoring.
Whenever these two teams get together the blood is always boiling, the battle for New York is one of the best rivalries in the game, but with that, the matchups always tend to be a little more low scoring, as our NHL betting picks indicate.
Islanders vs Rangers best odds
Islanders vs Rangers picks and predictions
The Rangers and Islanders last played on October 26th at UBS Arena when the Isles bested the Blueshirts 3-0. Granted, Jaroslav Halak was in goal for the Rangers that night, and the Islanders will have to face Igor Shesterkin tonight.
Shesterkin hasn’t been as good as he was last season just yet, but he is still off to a very good start, boasting a 6-1-2 record with a strong .916 save percentage along with a 2.41 GAA adding to his +4.3 GSAx. His opponent tonight will most likely be Semyon Varlamov since Ilya Sorokin played last night in the first game of the back-to-back. Varlamov comes into this game sporting a .909 SV% and a 2.90 GAA.
Both teams enter this game at the top of the NHL's defensive rankings as the Islanders are allowing just 2.54 goals per game and their penalty kill has been absolutely fantastic, skating to a 90.5% success rate. The Rangers have also done an excellent job at limiting opponent scoring, surrendering an average of 2.92 goals, but their penalty kill has also been a huge strength as it is successful on 82.1% of their chances.
The Rangers have been very inconsistent offensively, especially over the course of their last three games, combining for just five goals. They should have an edge tonight since they have had a day of rest and the Islanders had a tough game last night, but the goals just don’t seem to come very easy for them.
I think this is a phenomenal goaltending battle, and the Under has been a trend when these two teams get together, and that's exactly where I’m going.
My best bet: Under 6 (-110 at BetMGM)
Looking to do some NHL betting? Here are two of the best bonuses* available:
A) New users at FanDuel can get a no-sweat first bet of up to $1,000! Sign Up Now
B) New users at DraftKings can bet $5 and get $200 in free bets! Sign Up Now
*Eligible USA locations only. Also, check out our full list of best sportsbook promotions for 2022.
Islanders vs Rangers moneyline analysis
The Islanders have been playing much better hockey than the Rangers as of late, but all of the Rags' underlying metrics point in the right direction.
The only thing the Rangers aren’t doing right now is scoring goals at a consistent rate. The Chances are there, the shots are there, and the opportunities are there, but the finish simply hasn't been.
Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad are both in the Top 10 in the league in expected goals and the team has the eighth most expected goals in the league. To add to this, the Rangers are also averaging 34.6 shots per game, which puts them at seventh. Good things are going to come, it is only a matter of time.
The Islanders, however, haven’t had any issues putting pucks in the back of the net as they have combined for 26 goals in their previous seven games. The team is averaging 3.46 goals per game (10th), but their power play has been an absolute nightmare with a 15.4% success rate.
This is a very important revenge game for the Rangers after losing 3-0 the last time these teams met. They have been getting a lot of heat lately so I think they will use that as fuel to come out fast and hard tonight. This is a strong bounce-back spot for the Rangers considering the Islanders might be a bit fatigued from last night’s game against the Flames.
Islanders vs Rangers Over/Under analysis
The games between the Islanders and Rangers have had a pattern of being low-scoring affairs, dating back to last season. Whenever they meet, the goalies on both sides bring their best efforts since this rivalry means so much to not only the players but also to the city.
Varlamov has had a ton of success against the Rangers during his tenure as an Islander. One would have to think that his success will continue in tonight’s game with the Rangers offensive output as of late.
When Shesterkin is in goal for the Rangers you can always expect a low-scoring output from the opponent. Tonight should be another great, low-scoring game in the Islanders-Rangers rivalry.
Islanders vs Rangers betting trend to know
The Under is 6-0-1 in the last seven meetings at Madison Square Garden. Find more NHL betting trends for Islanders vs Rangers.
Islanders vs Rangers game info
| Location: | Madison Square Garden, New York, NY |
| Date: | Tuesday, November 8, 2022 |
| Puck drop: | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | MSG |
