The New York Rangers (23-16-6) take on the rival New York Islanders (28-13-4) Tuesday with a 7 p.m. ET puck drop at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Below, we analyze the Rangers-Islanders odds and lines, with NHL picks and predictions.
The Rangers enter on a four-game win streak, all against the New Jersey Devils. New York outscored New Jersey 18-6 in the four games. The Rangers won on the road 5-3 Sunday, Before the four-game sweep, the Rangers lost 3-2 in overtime to the Isles April 11 in Uniondale, N.Y.
The Islanders blanked the Philadelphia Flyers on the road by a 1-0 score in overtime Sunday behind G Ilya Sorokin. The Isles have had a power outage lately, averaging just 1.4 goals per game across the past seven outings, hitting the Under at a 7-0-1 clip over the past eight games.
Rangers at Islanders: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:29 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Rangers +110 (bet $100 to win $110) | Islanders -130 (bet $130 to $110)
- Against the spread/ATS: Rangers +1.5 (-225) | Islanders -1.5 (+190)
- Over/Under: 5.5 (O: +100 | U: -120)
Rangers at Islanders: Projected starting goalies
Igor Shesterkin (13-9-3, 2.28 GAA, .925 SV%, 2 SO) vs. Semyon Varlamov (16-9-3, 2.24 GAA, .922 SV%, 4 SO)
Shesterkin heads in on a three-game win streak, including shutouts in two of the past three. His last setback came in the April 11 overtime game at the Islanders as he made 29 saves on 32 shots. He is 0-2-1 with a 3.00 GAA and .905 SV% in three starts vs. the Islanders.
Varlamov is on a two-game slide, including a 4-1 home loss against the Rangers April 9 when he stopped 32 of 35 shots. Despite the loss, Varly is still 2-1-0 with a 1.02 GAA and .966 SV% with two shutouts in three starts vs. the Rangers.
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Rangers at Islanders: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Islanders 3, Rangers 2
Money line (ML)
The ISLANDERS (-130) are a good play on home ice. While the Rangers have won four in a row, they’re just 5-13 in the past 18 on the road as underdogs. They’re also just 8-17 in the past 25 meetings with the Isles.
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Against the spread (ATS)
If the Rangers +1.5 (-225) were a little cheaper, they would be the play here. I am expecting a hotly contested one-goal game, but laying more than two times your potential return is not appealing. SKIP.
Over/Under (O/U)
The UNDER 5.5 (-120) is a great play with two goaltenders facing teams they’re very familiar with. Varlamov has two shutouts in three meetings with the Blueshirts, and the Isles are on 7-0-1 Under run across the past eight. The Under has cashed in five straight meetings in this series, too.
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