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We’re only two weeks into the 2022-23 NHL schedule, but it feels like Wednesday’s game between the New York Islanders and New York Rangers at UBS Arena has huge implications for the home team.
After ruining last season with a 5-10-5 start, the Isles talked all summer about how it was imperative for the team to get out of the gates hot under new coach Lane Lambert. With just four points from their first six games, the Islanders are in danger of finding themselves in a similar hole this year. The Isles’ next three opponents are the Rangers, Hurricanes and Avalanche, to the possibility of a 2-7-0 start is not out of the question.
The Isles are a -120 favorite over the Rangers on Wednesday night, which may seem a bit surprising. But when you consider the schedule spot – the Blueshirts played the Avalanche last night and started Igor Shesterkin – it starts to make more sense.
The game will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast nationally on TNT.
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Rangers vs. Islanders odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM
Rangers: +100
Islanders: -120
Over/Under: 6
Rangers vs. Islanders prediction and preview
It’s hard to judge a team off of six games under a new coach, but the early returns for the Islanders have not been pretty. After three games, it looked like Lambert’s tweaks to the Isles’ style of play was starting to pay off. The Islanders played a hard-fought loss to the Panthers on opening night and then blew out the Ducks and Sharks by a combined score of 12-3.
But since then, the Islanders offense has dried up, culminating with a meager performance on Sunday against the Panthers in which they generated just one high-danger scoring chance at 5-on-5.
Mathew Barzal of the Islanders skates past Vincent Trocheck of the Rangers Getty Images
The Isles were much better in a loss to the Lightning the night before, but the team’s 0-for-2 effort in the Sunshine State paints a good picture of how they’ve played so far: uneven at best.
The saving grace for the Islanders is that they have Ilya Sorokin in goal. Even though he’s gotten just one win from four outings, Sorokin owns a .911 save percentage and is sixth in the league with a +4.4 Goals Saved Above Expected. As long as he’s on his game, Sorokin is a field-leveler for the Islanders, no matter the opponent.
Betting on the NHL?
After a hot start, the Rangers have also endured a bit of a speedbump over the last week, going 0-1-2 against the Sharks, Blue Jackets and Avalanche. Nothing under the surface looks broken for the Rangers, though, as they boast a 52 percent expected goals rate and are +7 in high-danger scoring chances at 5-on-5 this season.
Jaroslav Halak’s presence in goal is not ideal for a bet on the Under 6, but with the Islanders still searching for offense and the Rangers playing solidly in their own zone, it’s hard to imagine the Isles posting a crooked number here. Throw in Sorokin at the other end of the ice and you can start to see a path to success for the under on Wednesday night.
Rangers vs. Islanders pick
Under 6 (-110, BetMGM)