New York Rangers vs New York Islanders - Odds and Predictions

Where: Nassau Coliseum – Uniondale, NY.

When: Tuesday, February 25, 7PM EST

How (TV/Radio): MSG, MS+2 | WFAN

New York Rangers (Away)

Head Coach: David Quinn{All-Time 65-60-18 NYR}

Unlike their opponents, the Rangers went the opposite route on deadline day, choosing to lock down key players and keep the core of their team intact moving forward. It was a bold move but it seems the team has hope after going 8-2-0 in their last ten and winning their last three games in a row.

Offense

After much trade speculation revolving around forward Chris Kreider, the Rangers opted to not only keep their leading scorer but to resign him to a seven-year contract extension. But will he play a factor in this game? Will he play at all? Kreider is still listed as day-to-day with an illness and has not officially been confirmed to be in the lineup.

The Rangers haven’t been the best at creating scoring chances and they have the ninth-lowest shot total for the season. However, this team makes their chances count and boasts the league’s fifth-highest shooting percentage at 10.5 percent.

They have also outperformed their opponents on special teams, ranking seventh-overall when it comes to the power play. The Rangers have a 23.1 percent with the man-advantage and 43 power-play goals this season.

Defense

Defensively, this team has left much to be desired. For starters, they average more penalty minutes per game than any other team in the league at 11.4. With that being the case, it’s actually impressive that their penalty killing isn’t ranked lower than it is. The team currently has a 79.5 percent penalty kill – ranking them 19th in the league.

This team also allows a lot of shots against. They average an allowance of 34.3 shots per game (30th in the league) and have allowed the sixth-most shots against total this season. However, the team has the tenth-best combined save percentage in the NHL at .909.

Luckily, goaltending has been a bright spot for the Rangers as Henrik Lundqvist has held his own along with young talents Alexander Georgiev (who remains with the team after much trade speculation) and Igor Shesterkin. Unfortunately for the team, Shesterkin suffered a rib injury in a recent automobile accident.

Goaltending

In net for the Rangers, Tuesday is another player who was believed to be a big trade target that the team opted to hang on to: Alexander Georgiev. Georgiev is 14-12-1 this season with a GAA of 2.98 and a .912 save percentage. Like Varlamov, Georgiev has two shutouts this season.

Head Coach: Barry Trotz{All-Time 848-615-60-147 NYI, WSH, NSH}

Fresh off of trade deadline, the Islanders look to put their latest offensive acquisition to work as center Jean-Gabriel Pageau will take to the ice with his new club for the first time Tuesday night. The team hopes to win their third game in a row.

Offense

The big thing on everyone’s mind is how will newcomer Jean-Gabriel Pageau perform in his first game with the Islanders? Struggling offensively this season, the Isles were definitely in need of a fresh scoring touch – especially one who can also win faceoffs. Pageau was added to the roster at the trade deadline after leading the Ottawa Senators in points all season.

But how much difference can one man make? This team has struggled to create scoring chances, averaging just 29.4 shots on goal per game and they have the second-lowest shot total of the season. Their shooting percentage sits at 9.7 percent.

Their power play has also struggled. With just 24 power-play goals this season, the Islanders power-play percentage is 17.5 and ranks them 22bd in the NHL. They also haven’t been that great at faceoffs this year but neither have the Rangers.

Defense

Unlike their rivals, this Islanders team has been one of the more successful units in the league this season. For starters, they don’t allow many goals. Their average per game is under three and they’ve allowed the fifth-fewest goals-against total.

Their penalty killing has been reasonable. They currently rank 15th-overall in the NHL with a penalty-killing success rate of 80.6 percent. They also have six shorthanded goals and that’s before adding Jean-Gabriel Pageau to that unit.

Although it allows an average amount of shots when compared to other teams, they boast the league’s fifth-best combined save percentage at .914 – tying them with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Goaltending

Semyon Varlamov is expected to be the goaltender Tuesday night for the Islanders. Varlamov’s season record stands at 19-12-4. He has a goals-against-average of 2.47, a save percentage of .920, and also has two shutouts this season.

Last head-to-head

In their last head-to-head, which took place last month on January 21, the New York Islanders came away as the victors, defeating their rivals by a final score of 4-2.

What’s at Stake?

Both teams established themselves as playoff contenders – one by making roster changes and one by making no changes at all. They’ve made it clear to the league that they are making a postseason push. This game is equally important for both teams. They play within the same division and are currently only separated by six points in the standings. As it currently stands, the Islanders occupy the second wildcard spot.

Questions to Answer

How will the Isles’ new center Pageau fare in his first game with the team? Will he flourish? Will he need time to adjust? Will the idea of a rivalry game be intimidating? How will the Islanders choose to use him?

How will the newly extended Chris Kreider perform after being rewarded with a seven-year deal? Already on pace for career highs in goals and points, should we expect to see an even more motivated Kreider take to the ice? Will he even take the ice at all after suffering from a day-to-day illness?

Can the Rangers keep their momentum going? 8-2-0 in their last ten and three wins in a row, the Rangers still sit seventh in the Metropolitan Division and six points back of the final wildcard spot.

New York Rangers Injury Report

F Micheal Haley – DL (upper-body)

F Chris Kreider – day-to-day (illness)

F Pavel Buchnevich – day-to-day (undisclosed)

G Igor Shesterkin – OUT (ribs)

New York Islanders Injury Report

F Derrick Brassard – day-to-day (upper-body)

F Cal Clutterbuck – DL (wrist)

F Casey Cizikas – DL (leg)

D Adam Pelech – DL (achilles)

New York Rangers vs New York Islanders Odds

The latest odds for Rangers vs Islanders are provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, and 888Sport NJ.