The New York Rangers (35-16-3, third in Eastern conference) head to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford to face off against the New York Islanders (22-18-13, tenth) in conference play on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN+, SN and TVAS.
New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders: Game Preview
The Rangers have scored 178 goals (eighth most goals in the league) at an average of 3.3 per game and allowed 149 (ninth fewest in NHL play) at a rate of 2.8 per game.
Artemi Panarin leads the team with an impressive 31 goals and 40 assists. Chris Kreider follows with 27 goals and 24 assists, while Vincent Trocheck, a key offensive contributor, has scored 16 goals and 32 assists. Mika Zibanejad has 17 goals and 34 assists. Moreover, Igor Shesterkin boasts a 21-12-1 record in goal, a 2.78 GAA and a .902 SV%.
Tthe Islanders, meanwhile, maintain a scoring rate of 2.91 GFA. Defensively, they have a 3.26 GAA, and their power play has a 22.5% success rate. Mathew Barzal takes the lead for New York, registering 15 goals, 41 assists and 161 shots on goal, with contribution from Noah Dobson's 48 assists.
In goal, Ilya Sorokin holds a record of 16-12-10, boasting a 3.04 GAA and a solid .911 SV%.
New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders: Head-to-head and significant numbers
- The two teams have faced off 328 times, combining the regular season and playoffs.
- The Rangers have an overall record of 154-147-19-8 (49.8%) against the Islanders.
- In faceoffs, the Rangers have a 54% win rate, while the Islanders have 50.7%.
- The Rangers boast a 83.6% success rate on penalty kills, while the Islanders are 71.7%.
New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders: Odds and prediction
New York Rangers has domintated as the odds-on favorite this season, triumphing in 28 of 43 games. With odds shorter than -136 in 31 games, the Rangers have won 18 times, suggesting a strong 57.6% likelihood of winning this game.
Meanwhile, the Islanders have embraced the underdog role in 26 games this season, prevailing 10 times. Their record is 7-9 when faced with odds of +116 or longer, indicating a 46.3% chance of winning this game.
Prediction: Rangers 5-3 Islanders
New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders: Betting tips
Tip 1: Result: Rangers to win
Tip 2: Total goals over 6: Yes
Tip 3: Artemi Panarin to score anytime: Yes
Tip 4: Mathew Barzal to score first: Yes
Tip 5: Islanders to beat the spread: Yes