New York Islanders vs New York Rangers Betting Picks

The Rangers are a complete fade at home and for good reason. They have yet to win in six games at Madison Square Garden this season. The main reason for this is a startling lack of scoring. Discounting a 6-5 overtime loss to the Sharks, the Rangers have scored only one goal in their other five home games! They have been shut out at home by the Hurricanes, Oilers, Capitals, and Penguins. The Islanders enter this matchup in a fired-up mood after upset home losses to the Wild and Bruins in a shootout. The Islanders are the 12th-highest scoring team in the league, averaging 3.3 goals a game. The Rangers are 31st in scoring, averaging 2.3 goals a game, and are 30th on the power play. They have already lost as massive home favorites to the Sharks, Wild, and Penguins. So an Islanders' upset victory would not surprise at all. Take the Islanders.

The New York Rangers have lost three in a row scoring a total of six goals, and they are 1-for-14 with the man advantage in the past five games. The offense has dipped to 15th in goals scored, 27th on the power play, and 18th in shooting percentage. They're on a 5-2 run UNDER on the road. The New York Islanders are a defensive-first team ranked 14th in save percentage (.902) and 16th in shots on goal allowed. The offense, though, is awful, ranked 25th in goals scored, 31st on the power play, and 30th in shooting percentage. The Islanders are on a 22-17-2 run UNDER, including a 4-0 loss to the Rangers when they last met five weeks ago. Play the Rangers/Islanders UNDER the total. 

The New York Islanders go for their third straight win after beating Nashville 7-4 on Saturday when Brock Nelson had two goals and an assist, and Ilya Sorokin had 23 saves. The Islanders are 7-1 in their past eight playing with one day of rest, and the Rangers have lost their past five Monday games. The UNDER is 5-0-1 in the Rangers' past six home games, and they have gone UNDER four straight against teams that scored at least five goals in their previous game. The Islanders have won 10 of 15 overall and four of their past five against the Metropolitan Division, and they have stayed UNDER six of eight against Eastern Conference opponents. Sorokin is likely in net again, and he is 22-18-4 with a 2.86 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage with three shutouts. The Rangers are playing a back-to-back. Take the Islanders and the UNDER.

The New York Rangers have won four of six following a 5-3 victory over Pittsburgh while being outshot 39-16. Igor Shesterkin had 33 saves for the Rangers and he is expected to start this game with a 2.98 goals-against average this season. The Islanders have lost three in a row and all three have gone OVER as they have been outscored 14-9. The Islanders have lost four of five as underdogs and they have lost five of the past six meetings with the Rangers, who have gone OVER six straight road games. Six of the past seven meetings have gone OVER and the Rangers have gone OVER four road games in a row against teams with losing home records. Take the Rangers and the OVER.