Islanders vs. Rangers Prediction
The total for Thursday night’s season opener for the Islanders and Rangers opened at 5.5 but has climbed to 6. Is the over the smart play in this Eastern Conference matchup at 7:00 p.m. ET?
Game Snapshot
055 New York Islanders (-115) at 056 New York Rangers (-105); o/u 6
7:00 p.m. ET, Thursday, January 14, 2021
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
New York Islanders DFS Spin
Semyon Varlamov will play between the pipes on Thursday. It’s not clear when Islanders rookie goaltender Ilya Sorokin will make his first start, but given the condensed schedule, it probably won’t be long. Varlamov’s workload this season will be at least partially dependent on how well Sorokin adapts to the NHL, but the nature of the 2020-21 campaign means that no one goaltender can carry a team. Every team will need to utilize their backup in a higher percentage of games than normal.
New York Rangers DFS Spin
Igor Shesterkin will be in the crease for Thursday night’s season opener against the New York Islanders. Shesterkin had a 10-2-0 record during his rookie season in 2019-20 to go with a 2.52 goals-against average and .932 save percentage in 12 games played. He is expected to take on a larger role this season, but Alexandar Georgiev is slated to see his fair share of starts in 2020-21 because of the condensed schedule.
Islanders vs. Rangers Prediction
The over is 4-1-1 in the last six meetings between these two teams when the Rangers are the host team. The over is also 6-2-1 in the Islanders’ last nine games as a road favorite, is 9-3 in the Rangers’ last 12 games as a home underdog and is 7-3 in their last 10 conference games as a well.
NHL BETTING PREDICTION: ISLANDERS/RANGERS OVER 6
