The New York Islanders (18-13-2) travel to face the New York Rangers (18-11-5) at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. The Islanders are wrapping up a five-game road trip coming off a 1-0 shootout loss against the Avalanche on Monday. The Islanders committed only two penalties in the game, holding Colorado without a power play goal. Ilya Sorokin had 46 saves in the loss.
The Rangers fell 3-2 to the Penguins on Tuesday. Chris Kreider was the leading goal scorer for the Rangers, netting twice. Igor Shesterkin only had 21 saves on 24 shots against (.875%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Islanders have won both games between the teams this season, including a 4-3 victory in their most recent meeting in November. Kyle Palmieri (1G 1A) and Zach Parise (0G 2A) each had two points to lead the Islanders. Vincent Trocheck (1G 1A) and Artemi Panarin (0G 2A) each had two points to lead the Rangers. Semyon Varlamov got the win, saving 37 of 40 shots (.925%).
FACING OFF
The Islanders are averaging 3.15 goals per game for the season, 16th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Rangers team that is allowing 2.71 goals a game (8th). Meanwhile, the Rangers have found the net 3.24 times a game on average, 13th in the league, and the Islanders are allowing opponents to score 2.73 goals per game (9th).
The Rangers’ 23.30% power play percentage ranks 13th in the league, while the Islanders are 21st with a conversion rate of 20.41%. In terms of defending power plays, The Islanders have the league’s eighth-ranked PK% at 81.19%, while the Rangers are 15th at 79.21%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Brock Nelson and Mathew Barzal have been the top skaters for the Islanders this season with 33 and 31 points. Barzal is among the league leaders with his 27 assists (7th). In the net, Sorokin (10-10-1) is the Islanders’ top goaltender by goals against average.
He has a 2.36 GAA and a .926% save percentage, fourth-best in the league. Panarin and Mika Zibanejad lead the Rangers in scoring with 40 and 37 points, respectively. Panarin ranks 10th in the league in points scored on the season.
He has eight goals and 32 assists (4th), while Zibanejad has 15 goals and 22 assists. Shesterkin (16-4-4) is the top goalie for the Rangers with a goals against average of 2.39. He has a save percentage of .919%.
HOME AND AWAY
The Islanders are 9-7-2 away from UBS Arena this season. The Rangers are pursuing a fourth consecutive home win this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
NY Rangers (-155)
Want up to a $1K risk free bet for this pick?
Claim with 
today!
If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our NHL hub page for all your hockey needs!
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
