New York Islanders vs New York Rangers Prediction, 1/29/2026 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: New York Islanders vs New York Rangers

Date: Thursday, January 29, 2026

Location: Madison Square Garden in New York, NY

TV: MSG Network

The New York Islanders (28-19-5) are on their way to Madison Square Garden on Thursday where they will play the New York Rangers (22-25-6).

The New York Islanders were on the winning side of the scoreboard with a 4-0 win over the Flyers in the last game they played. New York accounted for 8 penalty mins in this game. The Islanders had a good offensive performance in this victory. In addition, they had 3 opportunities with more players on the ice and scored 1 goal. For the matchup, they scored on 4 out of the 23 shots they tried.

New York Islanders opponents have 145 power play opportunities (22nd in hockey) and have come away with 25 goals in those chances. The Islanders so far have had 1,457 shots attempted against them and have a save percentage of .903. New York has taken 1,438 shots and holds a shooting percentage of 10.2%. While at even strength, the Islanders have surrendered 116 goals while scoring 121 of their own. New York has 157 power play chances and they have notched 25 goals out of those attempts, garnering them a rate of 15.92%. For the year, the have a total of 61 points and their points percentage is .587. In relation to their scoring, the New York Islanders have tallied 146 goals (23rd in pro hockey) on the year and have surrendered 141.

The player protecting the goal in this game is David Rittich. Opponents have tallied 633 goals against Rittich in his professional hockey career and his goals against average per game is 2.81. Rittich has been involved in 251 games throughout his NHL career. His save percentage currently sits at .904 for his 12,243 mins in the crease. He has amassed a win-loss record of 119-78-29 and he started in 225 games. During his career on the ice, Rittich has 123 quality starts and his rate for quality starts is .547. Rittich has seen 6,570 shot attempts taken against him and he has 5,937 saves.

The last time they were on the ice, New York played the Bruins in an outing where the Rangers ended up with the win by a mark of 4-3. The Rangers recorded 4 goals out of the 28 shots on goal they attempted. They had 4 power play attempts in this outing but were not able to net one.

New York has tried 1,379 shots (24th in hockey) and has a shot percentage of 10.22%, while allowing the other team 1,506 shots. They have a penalty kill rate of 79.74% on the other teams 153 power play tries, and their save percentage sits at 89.0%. They have a total of 131 power play opportunities and they have earned a power play percentage of 22.14%. The Rangers have racked up 112 goals at even strength and 29 goals (20th in the NHL) while on the power play. They have permitted 165 goals to be scored by way of 134 goals at even strength and 31 goals while they were shorthanded. On the campaign, the New York Rangers have earned a total of 141 goals, 50 points, as well as a points percentage of .472.

Across the rink you will find Spencer Martin patrolling the crease. Teams are averaging 3.74 goals/game and he has surrendered 232 goals in total. Martin's quality start rate is 37.1% and he has accumulated 23 quality starts in his pro career. He has started in 62 contests and his ice time sits at 3,508 minutes. Martin has a career mark of 25-32-8 and has been in net for 71 games. He has recorded 1,730 stops out of the 1,962 shots tried, which gives him a save % of .882.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Tony's Pick: Take New York

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