Rangers vs Islanders Picks and Predictions: New York State of Mind

We'll see another chapter in the Battle of New York on Wednesday night as the New York Rangers head to the newly opened UBS Arena to face off against their cross-town rivals the New York Islanders.

Oddsmakers are expecting a close game between these conference foes with the Islanders opening as slim -103 home underdogs before shifting to +105.

Here are our best free NHL picks and predictions for Rangers vs. Islanders on Wednesday, November 24, with the puck dropping at 7:30 p.m. ET

Rangers vs Islanders odds

Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.

The Rangers opened as -115 favorites for this game with the Over/Under at 5.5. Early money came in on the Rangers, moving the line to Rangers -125. When these rivals previously faced off in May, the Islanders won 3-0 as -140 home favorites. Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until puck drop and be sure to check out the full NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.

Rangers vs Islanders predictions

• Prediction: Rangers moneyline (-125)
• Prediction: Under 5.5 (-120)
• Best bet: Rangers moneyline (-125)

Predictions made on 11/24/2021 at 9:40 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Rangers vs Islanders game info

• Location: UBS Arena, Elmont, New York
• Date: Wednesday, November 24, 2021
• Puck drop: 7:30 p.m. ET
• TV: MSG

Rangers vs Islanders betting preview

Injuries

Rangers: Sammy Blais LW (Out).
Islanders: Brock Nelson C (Out), Zdeno Chara D (Out), Adam Pelech D (Out), Josh Bailey LW (Out), Ryan Pulock D (Out), Anders Lee LW (Out), Andy Greene D (Out), Kieffer Bellows LW (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.

Rangers vs Islanders head-to-head record since 2021

Rangers: 2-6, 12 goals for. 
Islanders: 6-2, 23 goals for.

Betting trend to know

The Rangers are 9-1 in their last 10 games vs. Eastern Conference foes. Find more NHL betting trends for Rangers vs. Islanders.

Rangers vs Islanders picks and predictions

Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.

Moneyline analysis

Let's just get this out of the way immediately: the Islanders have owned this rivalry in recent years going 20-8 head-to-head and winning four consecutive meetings. Rangers netminder Igor Shesterkin, who has gone 35-19-5 with a 2.53 GAA and a save percentage of .923 in his young career, has been eviscerated by the Isles going winless in five starts with a 3.62 GAA and a .879 save percentage. 

Despite the Isles' dominance in this storied rivalry, every other factor in this particular contest points in favor of the visitors. The Rangers are third in the Metropolitan Division with an 11-4-3 record and have won five of their last six games. The Isles, meanwhile, are last in the division with a 5-8-2 mark and have lost six in a row, including back-to-back games since opening their new arena. 

The Rangers have been inconsistent on the offensive end of the ice (especially at even strength) but have turned things around lately, potting 22 goals in their last six games, and are averaging 2.74 goals per 60 minutes. While that ranks just 19th in the NHL, it's still much better than the Islanders, who rank second-last in the league with 2.05 GF/60 and have found the back of the net just four times in their previous five contests. 

The Blueshirts also have the better goaltender at the moment with Shesterkin playing well and the Isles expected to play the struggling Semyon Varlamov in net tonight. Varlamov was terrific last season, but he began this year on the bench due to a groin injury and is 0-3 with a 3.31 GAA, a .894 save percentage, and -2.10 GSAA since returning to the ice. 

The Islanders lineup is also decimated with seven players on the COVID-19 protocol list while leading scorer Brock Nelson and key defenseman Ryan Pulock are out with injuries. We're throwing out the historic trends in this one and backing the side with better scoring, superior goaltending, and an overall healthy squad. 

Prediction: Rangers moneyline (-125)

Over/Under analysis

While we're ignoring the head-to-head trends when it comes to winning, we do like that the Under has hit in seven of the last eight meetings between these New York rivals. The Under is also 9-4-1 in the Isles' last 14 games while going 19-8-3 in the Rangers' previous 30 contests on the road. 

Shesterkin has excelled this season going 9-3-2 with a 2.33 GAA and a .931 save percentage, and he'll be facing off against an Islanders team that can't put the puck in the net.

The Isles have the NHL's third-worst power play and are second-last in goals scored per game, and now they'll be without leading scorer Nelson as well as two other top forwards in Anders Lee and Josh Bailey. 

Although Varlamov has played very poorly to start the year, he's a veteran with a solid resume, and he shut down the Rangers last season going 5-1 with an incredible four shutouts and a save percentage of .976. 

Prediction: Under 5.5 (-120)

Best bet

This line opened with the Rangers at -115 and that almost seemed like a trap. Sure, they've struggled against the Islanders in recent years, but they're in much better form at the moment (on both ends of the ice), and the Islanders are missing three of their best forwards along with four important cogs on the blueline. Getting the Blueshirts at close to a pick'em price is hard to turn down. 

Pick: Rangers moneyline (-125)

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