New York Rangers vs New York Islanders Betting Prediction and Odds April 1

New York Rangers vs New York Islanders Betting Preview

WagerTalk NHL handicapper Kevin Dolan offers his New York Rangers vs New York Islanders betting preview for Friday, April 1. The Rangers have won 22 of their last 29 games at Madison Square Garden. Can their cross-town rivals thwart their April momentum?

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Friday, April 1	NHL Betting Notes, Courtesy of Caesars
Moneyline:	New York Rangers -175 vs New York Islanders +155
Puckline:	Rangers -1.5 (+155) / Islanders +1.5 (-175)
Total:	5.5 Goals (Over -105 / Under -115)
Game Time:	7:05pm ET / 4:05pm PT
Arena:	Madison Square Garden in New York City
TV:	ESPN+

New York Rangers vs New York Islanders Analysis

The New York Islanders head into Madison Square Garden on Friday night coming off a two-game sweep of the Columbus Blue Jackets, but face a much stiffer test later tonight against a red-hot New York Rangers team.

This will be the third meeting between these Metro Division rivals, with each team winning on the other’s home ice earlier this season.

Islanders’ Sturdy Defense Continues to Impress

While there’s no doubt been some hiccups along the way, it’s still hard not to be impressed with how good this Islanders defense has been overall this season.

Over a two week period between March 10th to 24th, the Islanders allowed just 1.78 goals per game on average, and that’s pretty much been consistent on the season also.

The Islanders have allowed the second-fewest power play goals out of any team in the league this year along with the third-lowest shots-to-goal percentage also.

Whatever The Islanders Can Do, The Rangers Can Do Better

While the Islanders defensive numbers this season have been mightily impressive, they nonetheless haven’t been quite as impressive as those of the New York Rangers.

The Rangers own the league’s third-fewest goals allowed per game tally out of any team in the NHL this season at just 2.59 GAPG on average. Couple this with the league’s second-lowest shots-to-goal percentage and the world’s No. 1 goalie and you have quite a defensive combination.

New York Rangers vs New York Islanders Prediction

Igor Shesterkin, who’s due in nets tonight for the Rangers, got rocked for five goals against New Jersey last week, but bounced back well in a doubleheader against Pittsburgh, posting a .935 SV% average over both games.

The Islanders and Rangers have been getting extremely fortunate this year however, posting a +21 and +15 ax differential respectively on the year, basically meaning they’re converting and/or stopping an inordinate amount of good chances this season.

While we highlighted earlier the great work both defenses have been doing on the season so far, it hasn’t been without concern however, as dipping under the hood we can see both teams rank 22nd and 28th respectively on expected goals against this year.

On top of that, the Rangers also rank 28th on opponent high danger scoring chances allowed this season while the Islanders own the league’s lowest opponent conversion rate on high danger scoring opportunities at just 9.4% (the average is 11.7%).

Those numbers simply aren’t sustainable long-term and we’re going to buck the trend tonight and take the over 5.5 goals between the Islanders and Rangers for Friday.

Interested in placing a bet on Friday night’s New York Rangers vs New York Islanders clash at Madison Square Garden? Caesars Sports is offering up to a $1,500 match bet for first-time deposits in New Jersey, West Virginia, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona, New York and Louisiana.

NHL Betting Guide

Thanks to the ever-expanding sports betting industry, there are now a variety of ways to attack the betting market outside of the traditional point spreads, moneylines and totals. Few sports have seen an increase of betting popularity like hockey, and we now have several different ways to wager on the NHL and international leagues. Check out our NHL Betting Guide with helpful terms and tips for novice bettors.

WagerTalk Live Odds Screen

WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the NHL moneylines, puck lines and betting percentages for all of Friday’s NHL games, including this New York Rangers vs New York Islanders showdown, from your desktop or phone.

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Meet the Author

‘The sharpest sports mind in Ireland’ is how one prominent newspaper dubbed Kevin Dolan after he became the first foreigner ever to win the World Series of Handicapping tournament back in 2015. “The Irishman” made his start wagering on GAA, football, soccer and boxing, all to immense success. Since becoming a professional bettor, he has since lit up the sports betting scene in the U.S. and abroad, winning two handicapping awards and writing a best-selling book on sports handicapping named ‘The Complete Guide to Sports Betting’.

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