Islanders vs Rangers Odds and Picks on February 8th

• The New York Rangers  (4-4-2) are 1.5-goal favorites going into Monday’s home game against the New York Islanders (4-4-2).
• NBC Sports Network will broadcast the game  on February 1, 2021 at 7 PM ET
• See the game odds, spreads, picks, plus a preview below

The New York Islanders and New York Rangers both have 4-4-2 records. They have played each other twice this season, and each team won once.

Both teams have surrendered 27 goals in 10 games this season, and neither team is happy with their power play.  If the season were ending today, neither team would be in a playoff position.

If there was a time when these long-time rivals were reasonably well matched, it’s now. The Rangers are favored by 1.5 goals for their Monday game, but bettors might be more inclined to view this game as a toss-up.

New York Islanders vs New York Rangers Odds

Odds taken Feb. 7 at DraftKings

Rangers winning since dropping DeAngelo

The Rangers are 2-0 since announcing that defenseman Tony DeAngelo would never play for the team again. Included in those two wins is a 3-1 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the team that defeated the Rangers in overtime on the night DeAngelo got into a post-game fight with teammate Alexandar Georgiev.

DeAngelo is a puck-mover with defensive deficiencies. Since putting him on waivers, the Rangers have given up a cumulative total of three goals in wins against Washington and Pittsburgh.

Artemi Panarin's 15 points (5 G, 10 A) are the most through #NYR first 10 games of a season since 2006-07 when Jaromir Jagr had 18 points & Michael Nylander had 15. pic.twitter.com/B1v6hCP9B6

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) February 5, 2021

Despite Mika Zibanejad’s slow start, the Rangers are averaging 2.90 goals per game. They scored seven goals in their two most recent wins and are averaging 3.5 goals per game over their last four games. They are 3-0-1 in their last four games.

Zibanejad may still be feeling the impact of the bout of COVID-19 he had before the season. If he rediscovers his offensive magic and youngsters Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko begin contributing more, the Rangers should be able to average better than three goals per game for the rest of the season.

Islanders still a low-scoring team

The Islanders are coming off a 4-3 win against the Penguins and have points in three consecutive games. But the Barry Trotz-coached team isn’t playing with the same level of proficiency it showed last regular-season.

They are definitely not as difficult to play against as they were during the 2019-20 playoffs.

Barry Trotz thrilled with the two points #Isles got tonight but still not thrilled with how his team is playing. Called some of the play "indifferent" lately and says he needs more from his top group. Says it's been "difficult" to settle on the lineup as a result.

— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) February 7, 2021

Their goals-against average is comparable to last season’s numbers (2.70 this season, compared to 2.79 last season), but their scoring is down from 2.78 goals per game to 2.30. That’s almost a half of a goal per game less than last season. Only two teams — the Detroit Red Wings (1.83) and Anaheim Ducks (1.85) — have scoring rates below the Islanders.

Brock Nelson, Josh Bailey and Jean Gabriel Pageau have combined for four goals in the first 10 games. The Islanders need more production from those three players.

Injury report

The Rangers are banged up on defense, with Jack Johnson (groin) and Brendan Smith (upper body) both listed as day-to-day.  Center Collin Blackwell (upper body) is also out day-to-day.

The only player out for an extended period is center Filip Chytil who is considered out week-to-week. He was just starting to play well when he went down.

Meanwhile, Anthony Beauvillier (lower body) is the only Islanders player on the injury report

Neither team has players on the  COVID-19 list,

All #Isles available for tonight's game vs. #Penguins except for Anthony Beauvillier (IR/lower body). Coach Barry Trotz says Beau likely not available on Monday vs. #NYR either. Needs to get some practices in with the main group. Hasn't happened yet. Been skating on his own.

— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) February 6, 2021

Rangers’ odds are enticing

At +225, the Rangers are an inviting pick to cover. They’ve looked sharper over the past couple of games. Rookie D’Andre’ Miller looks like he can pick up some of DeAngelo’s responsibilities. The Islanders have lost five of their last six games, scoring only 14 goals in those six games.

Pick: Rangers -1.5 (+225)