PREMIUM
Rogers' 10* Total MASSACRE >>> 1-0 Start in NHL!
(NHL) NY Islanders vs. NY Rangers,
Money Line: -130.00 NY Rangers (Home)
Result: Win
Money Line: -130.00 NY Rangers (Home)
Result: Win
The set-up: The New York Rangers will open a season at Madison Square Garden for the first time since 2007 and fittingly it will come against the New York (Brooklyn?) Islanders. The Rangers (101) and Islanders (100) are both coming off 100-point seasons, yet each team finds itself with something to prove entering their season opener. The Rangers got manhandled in a first-round loss to eventual Stanley Cup winner Pittsburgh, while the Islanders were bounced in the second round by the Tampa Bay Lightning The new season brings new faces for both teams.
NY Islanders: The Islanders reached the postseason for the third time in four season last year. Leading scorer John Tavares (33 goals & 70 points) is back the Islanders must replace their second- and third-leading scorers in Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen, who combined for 42 goals and 116 points last season. Brought in to fill the void were Andrew Ladd, who has at least 23 goals in five of his last six seasons and 37-year-old Jason Chimera, a 20-goal scorer for the Washington Capitals last season.
NY Rangers: The Rangers finished only three points behind the Penguins in the regular season but got outscored 21-10 while being eliminated by Pittsburgh in five games. Brassard was shipped to Ottawa for center Mika Zibanejad, a top faceoff man who posted career highs with 21 goals and 30 assists last season, while former 22-goal scorer Brandon Pirri and former Hobey Baker Award winner Jimmy Vesey of Harvard were imported as free agents.
The pick: The Rangers' netminder Henrik Lundqvist won 35 games last season but he looked quite mortal at times while sporting the highest GAA of his career at 2.48. Islanders goaltender Jaroslav Halak (18-13-4, 2.30 GAA & .919 save percentage) is dealing with an illness and his status for the opener is up in the air. The Islanders won all four matchups last year with the Rangers, giving them their first season sweep in the series. Only one of last year's four meetings saw the final score finish with more than five combined goals, so the Under is a 10* play.
NY Islanders: The Islanders reached the postseason for the third time in four season last year. Leading scorer John Tavares (33 goals & 70 points) is back the Islanders must replace their second- and third-leading scorers in Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen, who combined for 42 goals and 116 points last season. Brought in to fill the void were Andrew Ladd, who has at least 23 goals in five of his last six seasons and 37-year-old Jason Chimera, a 20-goal scorer for the Washington Capitals last season.
NY Rangers: The Rangers finished only three points behind the Penguins in the regular season but got outscored 21-10 while being eliminated by Pittsburgh in five games. Brassard was shipped to Ottawa for center Mika Zibanejad, a top faceoff man who posted career highs with 21 goals and 30 assists last season, while former 22-goal scorer Brandon Pirri and former Hobey Baker Award winner Jimmy Vesey of Harvard were imported as free agents.
The pick: The Rangers' netminder Henrik Lundqvist won 35 games last season but he looked quite mortal at times while sporting the highest GAA of his career at 2.48. Islanders goaltender Jaroslav Halak (18-13-4, 2.30 GAA & .919 save percentage) is dealing with an illness and his status for the opener is up in the air. The Islanders won all four matchups last year with the Rangers, giving them their first season sweep in the series. Only one of last year's four meetings saw the final score finish with more than five combined goals, so the Under is a 10* play.
