Rangers vs. Islanders Odds, Pick Tonight
| Rangers Odds | -130 |
| Islanders Odds | +110 |
| Over / Under | 5.5 -115/-105 |
Here's everything you need to know about the New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders on Tuesday, April 9 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
The Rangers are a heavy favorite to win the Presidents' Trophy, as they're three points ahead of the Stars with just four points left. Additionally, two of those games come against the Islanders, which offers the Rangers a chance to prevent a playoff berth for their greatest rival.
Meanwhile, the Islanders are on a four-game winning streak and are suddenly in the driver's seat for the third spot in the Metropolitan Division.
New York Rangers
Since the trade deadline, the Rangers have gone on a 13-3-0 tear, which has essentially wrapped up a Presidents' Trophy win. They have scored 4.00 goals per game and allowed only 2.93 goals against in that span.
They continue to drastically outperform their expected goal differential, but at this point, it has to be respected that there is some legitimate reasoning as to why they can pull that off season after season.
In 16 games since the trade deadline, the Rangers have still owned only a 48.39% expected goal share at even strength and have scored on 10.29% of shots taken (6th).
The Rangers also rank fourth in powerplay success rate (26.4%) and third on the penalty kill (83.6%).
Additionally, both Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick have been downright tremendous in goal this season.
The Rangers are slightly overvalued to be claiming the Presidents' Trophy, but have proven to have a combination of factors that help cover up for a modest share of the overall chances at even strength.
You also have to respect how hard it is put the Rangers away, even in games that look like clear off nights.
Shesterkin is expected to start tonight and has played to 10.5 GSAx and a .910 save percentage across 52 appearances.
New York Islanders
The Islanders have let down in a number of huge spots this season, but continue to have been afforded numerous lifelines because of how thin the Eastern Conference truly is.
New York suffered a 6-3 defeat at the hands of the Red Wings on March 21st, which, at the time, looked like the final nail in the coffin. Of course, it was hard to predict that all of the teams in front of the Isles' would lose games at the rates we've seen.
Credit to the Islanders though, because since that point they've bounced back with consistently solid play. They are 6-2-0 since the loss in Detroit and have played to a 48.68% expected goal share in that span.
Semyon Varlamov has been confirmed as the Islanders starter tonight and has played to 7.1 GSAx and a .916 save percentage in 25 appearances this season.
Rangers vs. Islanders
Betting Pick & Prediction
Throughout their late push for a playoff berth, the Islanders have played more of the low-event hockey we've come to expect over the past several seasons. When they are at their best, the game plan revolves around solid defensive play. However, their offensive chance creation is still below average, which has prevented them from pulling away on the scoreboard too often.
It seems reasonable to think that the Islanders can find a way to hang around and make this game competitive.
This sets up as another good spot to target an Islanders game heading past regulation. Overtime is priced at +340 on FanDuel, and I believe there's value at anything better than +320.
I'll note that I was also high on the under at the opening prices, as posted on the Action Network app on Monday, but the vast majority of those numbers have moved outside of my target range.
Pick: Regulation Tie +340 (FanDuel, Play to +320)
