Two teams coming off losses to the New York Islanders square off when the Philadelphia Flyers take on the New York Rangers. Philadelphia lost to New York in overtime on Sunday, 1-0. The Rangers were crushed by the Islanders on Tuesday, 6-1.
Here you can find the best picks, news, and stats for this East Division battle at Madison Square Garden. New York is the favorite at -149. This according to PointsBet Sportsbook, which puts the odds Philadelphia at +230 as the underdog.
Philadelphia has both goaltender Carter Hart and center Tanner Laczynski listed as questionable for Thursday. Center Nolan Patrick is probable. New York will be without defenseman Jacob Trouba.
Islanders Blank Philly
Brian Elliott stopped 27 of 28 shots but it was not enough as Philadelphia fell to the Islanders, 1-0. The Flyers were unable to get any of their 30 shots by Ilya Sorokin. The loss was the fourth out of the last five games for Philadelphia.
Philadelphia is 17th in goals per game at 2.80 and is 17th in shooting percentage at 9.4%. They are 20th on the power-play at 19.3%. The Flyers are led in scoring by James van Riemsdyk with 35 points. Joel Farabee is the leading goal scorer with 15 and has 31 total points, fourth on the team.
The Flyers are 30th in goals allowed per game at 3.51 and are 30th in penalty killing it 73.7%. With Hart out, it will be Elliott between the pipes. He is 11-6-2 with a 2.93 GAA and a .892 save percentage. The one goal allowed by Elliott was an impressive rebound after allowing six to Washington on April 13.
Islanders Crush Rangers
Igor Shesterkin allowed six goals on 28 shots as the Islanders crushed the Rangers on Tuesday, 6-1. Kevin Rooney had the lone goal for the Rangers, his seventh of the year. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for New York.
New York is sixth in goals per game at 3.28 and is third in shooting percentage at 11.3%. The Rangers are 14th on the power-play at 20.5%. They are led in scoring by Artemi Panarin, who has 36 assists and 52 points. Pavel Buchnevich and Chris Kreider are tied for the team lead in goals with 19.
The Rangers are 11th in goals allowed per game at 2.65 and are fourth in penalty killing it 84.7%. Shesterkin gets a chance to redeem himself as he will be back in the net on Thursday. He is 13-10-3 with a 2.43 GAA and a .920 save percentage.
Trends:
Philadelphia:
- 1-4 in their last five games.
- 5-16 in the last 21 games as the underdog.
New York:
- 4-0 in their last four games as the favorite.
- 6-1 in their last seven games at home.
Both teams are coming off tough losses. Philadelphia got outstanding goaltending but could not find a way to get a puck in the net. The Rangers were blasted by the Islanders, and look to shake off that contest. The difference is that the Rangers are playing a lot better than Philadelphia is. The Flyers have defeated the Rangers five out of the last six times in New York, but not on this night.
Pick: Take New York at -149.
The Total:
Despite Shesterkin’s tough outing, he is played very well. Elliott has looked very well for Philadelphia as well. These teams have gone over in four of the last five meetings and six of the last eight meetings in New York, but this is going to be a low-scoring affair between two goaltenders who are both playing well. I like the under here.
Pick: Go under 6.0 (+100).