PREMIUM
Rogers' 10* TOTAL DOMINATION >> $20 Tuesday!
(NHL) NY Rangers vs. NY Islanders,
Total: 5.50 | -135.00 Under
Result: Win
Total: 5.50 | -135.00 Under
Result: Win
The set-up: The NY Rangers are 17-8-1 to lead the eight-team Metropolitan Division with 35 points. Meanwhile, the NY Islanders are 9-10-5 and their 23 points leave them in last-place. The Rangers are the NHL's highest scoring team (95 goals) and own the league's best differential (plus-30) but even though this is a first vs. worst matchup, there is never any shortage of drama when the Rangers and Islanders and New York Rangers meet, as they do tonight at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
NY Rangers: Yes, the Rangers are in first place but head coach Alain Vigneault has expressed concern with his club's recent inconsistent ways. "We're like all the teams," Vigneault told reporters. "We need our goaltender to be one of our best players and we need our other best players, whether they are Ds or forwards, to play at the level they're supposed to." The Rangers have alternated wins with losses in each of their last seven games and are 4-4-1 in their last nine. Despite being in first place, they are just six points ahead of the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals, who are tied for the final wild-card spot in the East.
NY Islanders: After reaching the second round of the playoffs last spring for the first time since 1993, the Islanders had high expectations this season. However, they enter Tuesday not only last in the Metropolitan Division but their 23 points are the lowest of any team in the entire eastern Conference. The Islanders crawled on to the periphery of the race by winning three straight games but then came Sunday's 4-3 OT loss at home to the Red Wings. The Islanders are just 1-for-14 on the power play over the past six games but they have killed all 13 penalties in that span.
The pick: The Islanders will host the Rangers for the first time this season on Tuesday. "They're always a lot of fun," Islanders center and captain John Tavares said of the games against the Rangers. "Never any love lost in these games, so easy to get up for." As noted above, the Rangers have been inconsistent at best as of late while the Islanders have rebounded from an ugly stretch in which they dropped 11 of 14 contests. They are currently riding a four-game point streak (3-0-1) after Sunday's 4-3 overtime loss to Detroit and have scored 11 goals (3.67 per) in their last three. The Rangers are averaging a league-best 3.65 GPG and the Over is a 10* play in this one.
NY Rangers: Yes, the Rangers are in first place but head coach Alain Vigneault has expressed concern with his club's recent inconsistent ways. "We're like all the teams," Vigneault told reporters. "We need our goaltender to be one of our best players and we need our other best players, whether they are Ds or forwards, to play at the level they're supposed to." The Rangers have alternated wins with losses in each of their last seven games and are 4-4-1 in their last nine. Despite being in first place, they are just six points ahead of the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals, who are tied for the final wild-card spot in the East.
NY Islanders: After reaching the second round of the playoffs last spring for the first time since 1993, the Islanders had high expectations this season. However, they enter Tuesday not only last in the Metropolitan Division but their 23 points are the lowest of any team in the entire eastern Conference. The Islanders crawled on to the periphery of the race by winning three straight games but then came Sunday's 4-3 OT loss at home to the Red Wings. The Islanders are just 1-for-14 on the power play over the past six games but they have killed all 13 penalties in that span.
The pick: The Islanders will host the Rangers for the first time this season on Tuesday. "They're always a lot of fun," Islanders center and captain John Tavares said of the games against the Rangers. "Never any love lost in these games, so easy to get up for." As noted above, the Rangers have been inconsistent at best as of late while the Islanders have rebounded from an ugly stretch in which they dropped 11 of 14 contests. They are currently riding a four-game point streak (3-0-1) after Sunday's 4-3 overtime loss to Detroit and have scored 11 goals (3.67 per) in their last three. The Rangers are averaging a league-best 3.65 GPG and the Over is a 10* play in this one.
