by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Apr 20, 2022
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: UBS Arena, Long Island, NY
Where to watch: MSG+2, MSG
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Check back later
BetMGM: Check back later
Caesars: Check back later
Season record
Rangers: 50-21-6
Islanders: 35-31-10
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Rangers - Islanders preview and analysis
The New York Rangers might be the most slept on team in the Eastern Conference with how stacked this group is. They’re not up there with the Florida Panthers or Carolina Hurricanes but if they were in a league of their own, they would be killing it.
And far be it for me to think that this Rangers team, when clicking on all cylinders, can’t be a contender in the East and surprise some folks. They have every component you want for a contending team and they could realistically go far in this playoff.
But the Rangers can, in fact, jump the Carolina Hurricanes for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division with a win over the New York Islanders on Thursday, as well as a loss from Carolina against Winnipeg.
The Rangers have won six of their last seven and are coming off a 3-0 win over the aforementioned Jets on Tuesday for their 50th win and their third shutout in a row. Igor Shesterkin made 31 saves, and this group is running at the perfect time.
"It's not just the last three games, the shutouts, it's been the last number of games we've been playing a lot better defensively," Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. "It makes you feel more confident as a coach that you're not just winning because of your goaltending."
You have to go back almost 50 years to find the last time the Rangers had three consecutive shutouts in a season. February 1973, to be exact, when the Rangers were a perennial contender and coming off an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final.
Ryan Strome scored twice to pace the scoring.
"Guys are buying in pretty good," Strome said. "I think we understand what it takes to win right now and what makes us successful, and when we do that for a good chunk of the game we give ourselves a good chance to win. Obviously, three straight wins is pretty impressive."
The team record for a shutout streak is 297:43 set in 1927-28. Currently, the Rangers sit ath 180:06. Can they do it against an Islanders team that has scored four goals in its past three games?
"As a coach, you never come in here and say, 'Well, 50 wins would be a great season for us,'" Gallant said. "You just take it one game at a time and that's how we do things. But it's huge. It's great to see. I don't think they've done it too many times here. Five. What's that say? It's been a real good year and a lot of fun. We've got five games left and hopefully build on that."
The Islanders are coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers, the top team in the Eastern Conference. Ilya Sorokin did everything he could in his 39-save performance in which he gave New York a chance.
"Ilya was fantastic, he really was," New York coach Barry Trotz said. "They've got some high-end guys that can make some plays, and you look at Barkov, three goals, and Huberdeau, three assists. Their front-end guys came to play."
Prediction
It’s not a home game for the Rangers, so I wouldn’t expect a shutout, but in this battle of goalies, I trust the one that’s likely going to win the Vezina at this point and win the division. There’s still a lot to play for and I think we’ll see the Rangers put forth a great collective effort the past few weeks. Rangers win 5-1
Betting trends
Rangers are 21-7 this season when playing their second game in five days.
Rangers are 17-8 this season off a home win.
Islanders are 1-8 the past three seasons off consecutive home losses.
Projected lines
Rangers:
Chris Kreider -- Mika Zibanejad -- Frank Vatrano
Artemi Panarin -- Ryan Strome -- Andrew Copp
Alexis Lafreniere -- Filip Chytil -- Barclay Goodrow
Dryden Hunt -- Kevin Rooney -- Ryan Reaves
Ryan Lindgren -- Adam Fox
K'Andre Miller -- Jacob Trouba
Patrik Nemeth -- Braden Schneider
Igor Shesterkin
Chris Kreider -- Mika Zibanejad -- Frank Vatrano
Artemi Panarin -- Ryan Strome -- Andrew Copp
Alexis Lafreniere -- Filip Chytil -- Barclay Goodrow
Dryden Hunt -- Kevin Rooney -- Ryan Reaves
Ryan Lindgren -- Adam Fox
K'Andre Miller -- Jacob Trouba
Patrik Nemeth -- Braden Schneider
Igor Shesterkin
Islanders:
Anders Lee -- Brock Nelson -- Anthony Beauvillier
Zach Parise -- Mathew Barzal -- Oliver Wahlstrom
Josh Bailey -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Kyle Palmieri
Matt Martin -- Casey Cizikas -- Kieffer Bellows
Zdeno Chara -- Noah Dobson
Adam Pelech -- Ryan Pulock
Grant Hutton -- Andy Greene
Ilya Sorokin
Anders Lee -- Brock Nelson -- Anthony Beauvillier
Zach Parise -- Mathew Barzal -- Oliver Wahlstrom
Josh Bailey -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Kyle Palmieri
Matt Martin -- Casey Cizikas -- Kieffer Bellows
Zdeno Chara -- Noah Dobson
Adam Pelech -- Ryan Pulock
Grant Hutton -- Andy Greene
Ilya Sorokin
Statistical leaders
Rangers:
Points: Artemi Panarin -- 92
Goals: Chris Kreider -- 25
Assists: Artemi Panarin -- 70
Goalie: Igor Shesterkin -- 36-11-4, 2.01 GAA, .936 SV%
Islanders:
Points: Brock Nelson -- 56
Goals: Brock Nelson -- 34
Assists: Mat Barzal -- 38
Goalie: Ilya Sorokin -- 25-16-8, 2.32 GAA, .927 SV%
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
