NY Rangers vs NY Islanders Prediction 1/29/26 NHL Picks Today

The New York Islanders and the New York Rangers meet Thursday in NHL action from Madison Square Garden. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a New York Islanders vs. New York Rangers prediction.

New York Islanders Recap

The New York Islanders come into this game looking to add on to their 5-2 win over the Rangers from the last matchup between these two teams on Tuesday to improve to 29-19-5 this season. After this game, the Islanders will head back home for a game against the Nashville Predators.

Islanders Win Back-To-Back Games

Mathew Barzal has 44 points with 13 goals and a team-high 31 assists while Bo Horvat has 34 points with 21 goals and 13 assists. Matthew Schaefer has 35 points with 13 goals and 22 assists and Anders Lee has 29 points with 11 goals and 18 assists. Emil Heineman has 23 points with 15 goals and 8 assists. Jonathan Drouin has 20 points with 17 assists and Simon Holmstrom has 27 points with 13 goals and 14 assists. Ilya Sorokin is 17-12-2 with a 2.43 GAA and a .916 save percentage while David Rittich is 12-7-3 with a 2.54 GAA and a .901 save percentage in goal for the Islanders so far this season.

Why the New York Islanders will win

• The Rangers have lost each of their last eight games on the second leg of a back-to-back.
• The Islanders have won nine of their last 10 night games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
• The Rangers have failed to cover the puck line in eight of their last nine home games against Eastern Conference opponents.
• The Islanders have covered the puck line in eight of their last nine night games against Eastern Conference opponents.

New York Islanders Player Prop Facts

• Mathew Barzal has recorded at least one assist in each of the Islanders’ last five games as road favorites.
• Kyle Palmieri has scored a goal in each of his last four appearances with the Islanders as road favorites.
• Anders Lee has scored two goals against the Rangers this season – equal-most against any opponent.

New York Rangers Recap

The New York Rangers come into this game looking to shake off their loss to the Islanders last time out to sit at 22-26-6 this season. After this game, the Rangers will head on the road for a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Rangers Lose 8 Of Last 10 Games

Artemi Panarin has 57 points with 19 goals and 38 assists while Adam Fox has 28 points with 24 assists. JT Miller has 34 points with 14 goals and 20 assists while Will Cuylle has 26 points with 12 goals and 14 assists and Mika Zibanejad has 50 points with 22 goals and 28 assists. Alexis Lafreniere also has 29 points with 19 assists as well this season. Igor Shesterkin has gone 17-12-4 with a 2.45 GAA and a .913 save percentage while Jonathan Quick is 4-11-2 with a 3.17 GAA and an .884 save percentage in goal for the Rangers so far this season.

Why the New York Rangers will win

• The Islanders have lost each of their last seven road games following a win.
• The underdogs have won four of the last five games between the Islanders and Rangers.
• The Rangers have covered the puck line in each of their last seven games as home underdogs against opponents on a winning streak.
• The Islanders have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last six games as road favorites.

New York Rangers Player Prop Facts

• Artemi Panarin has recorded at least one assist in each of his last 13 appearances with the Rangers as underdogs against Eastern Conference opponents.
• Artemi Panarin has scored the last goal in three of the Rangers’ last four home games against the Islanders.
• Artemi Panarin has scored at least one goal in each of the Rangers’ last three games as home underdogs against the Islanders.
• J.T. Miller has recorded 11 hits against the Islanders this season – most against any opponent.

Total Goals Facts

• Each of the Rangers’ last eight games against Eastern Conference opponents have gone OVER the total goals line.
• Each of the Islanders’ last six games as favorites on the second leg of a back-to-back have gone UNDER the total goals line.
• Each of the last six games between teams from the same division have gone OVER the total goals line.

New York Islanders vs. New York Rangers Prediction

I’m on the Islanders here. I get the case to be made for the Rangers as an underdog, but being at home hasn’t seemed to matter for the Rangers as they’ve been far less effective at Madison Square Garden so far this season. The Islanders have also had the Rangers’ number for much of the year, and I think that the Islanders continue to maintain their dominance over their rival with a win on the road here. Give me the Islanders.