New York Rangers vs New York Islanders Prediction, 5/1/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: New York Rangers vs New York Islanders

Date: Saturday, May 1, 2021

Location: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY

TV: MSG

Odds/Point Spread: Rangers (+117) Islanders (-137)

Igor Shesterkin and the New York Rangers (26-19-6) head to Barclays Center on Saturday where they'll take on the New York Islanders (30-15-5). The Rangers open this matchup at +117 while the Islanders are priced at -137. The O/U has been set at 5.5.

The Rangers will look to clean up some issues after taking a 4-0 defeat to the Islanders in their previous outing. Their offensive zone starts were rated at 69.4% and their PDO rating was 87.0 in this game. They accrued 15 face-off wins when at even strength and were beaten on 28 opportunities to take control of the puck. Their Fenwick came in at 37 and the Fenwick against was 37, meaning the had a Fenwick percentage of 50.0%. The Corsi for the Rangers came in at 54 and the Corsi against when all was said and done was 47 which had their Corsi rate coming in at 53.5%. New York accounted for 6 mins in the box in this matchup. They also had 2 attempts on the power play but didn't convert them into a score. The Rangers could have played much better offensively in the defeat. For the game, they couldn't finish any of the 25 shots they put on goal.

New York Rangers opponents have tallied 153 power play opportunities (7th in pro hockey) and have notched 26 goals in those chances. The Rangers have had 1,491 shots taken against them and are the owners of a save percentage of .910. New York has attempted 1,494 shots and is the owner of a shooting percentage of 11.1%. While at even strength, the Rangers let the opposition score 108 goals while having 130 of their own. New York has compiled 169 power play chances and they have added 36 goals out of those attempts, garnering them a percentage of 21.30%. For the season, they have 58 points and their points percentage is .569. Concerning their scoring capabilities, the New York Rangers have earned 166 goals (6th in the league) on the year and have allowed 134.

The player guarding the cage in this matchup is Igor Shesterkin. Shesterkin has taken the ice for 44 games over the course of his hockey career. He has a win-loss record of 25-14-3 and he was named the starter in 41 games. The opposition has racked up 101 goals versus Shesterkin in his pro hockey career and his goals against average is 2.46. Shesterkin has seen 1,329 shots against him and has accrued 1,228 saves. His save percentage is .924 for his 2,462 minutes in the crease. In his professional hockey career, Shesterkin has accrued 28 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is .683.

In their win over the Rangers, the Islanders had 2 power play opportunities in this matchup and scored 1 out of those chances. The Islanders earned 4 goals out of the 27 shots on goal they attempted. Their PDO was 113 and they finished the game with an oZS percentage of 30.8%. New York wound up with a 46.5% Corsi rating. This Corsi rating tells us the kind of game New York had and it was an excellent showing for this outing. Their Fenwick rate was 50.0% by tallying a Fenwick of 37 and the Rangers ending the game with a 37 Fenwick at even strength.

The Islanders have tallied 111 goals at even strength and 25 goals (24th in pro hockey) while having more men on the ice. New York has attempted 1,436 shots (23rd in professional hockey) and has a shooting percentage of 9.47%, while allowing the opposition 1,404 shots. For the year, the New York Islanders have notched a total of 136 goals, 65 points, in addition to a points percentage of .650. They have recorded 135 power play opportunities and they have a power play percentage of 18.52%. They have recorded a penalty kill percentage of 83.61% on the other teams 122 tries on the power play, and their save percentage is 92.0%. They have granted a total of 112 goals to be scored by way of 92 goals at even strength and 20 goals while they had less men on the ice.

Across the ice you will find Semyon Varlamov protecting the net. Varlamov has accrued a career mark of 250-192-60 and has participated in 525 games. Varlamov's rate of quality starts sits at 55.9% and he has qualified for 280 quality starting assignments in his professional career. He has tallied 14,420 stops out of the 15,740 shots attempted, which gives him a percentage of .916. Opponents are averaging 2.63 goals per game and he has conceded 1,320 goals overall. He has started in 501 contests and has racked up 30,088 minutes.

Who will win tonight's hockey game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Rangers (+117)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here