The New York Rangers and New York Islanders will do battle in an in-state rivalry game on Wednesday night. The Islanders are firmly in playoff contention in the Metropolitan Division this season, while the Rangers are trying to climb out of last place in the Metro. Which of these New York squads will pick up their second win in a row here? Continue reading to get my Rangers vs Islanders prediction on the ice.
Our Rangers vs Islanders Pick
Islanders moneyline ATS PRO
Confidence: 4/5
Game Snapshot
Game: New York Rangers vs New York Islanders
Date & Time: Thursday, January 29, 2026, 7:00 PM ET
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Broadcast: ESPN+
Key Storylines
Recent form: As of this week, the Islanders sit at 28-19-5 overall, while the Rangers are 22-25-6. The Rangers are at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division, while the Islanders are in third place in the division. If the Rangers want to give themselves any chance to move up in the standings and contend for a playoff spot, they need to start picking up wins in a hurry.
Goaltending: Ilya Sorokin is the likely starter for the Islanders. The Rangers’ crease remains an area to watch with Igor Shesterkin likely to make a return around the end of the month. Veteran Jonathan Quick is the probable starter in his place for this game. Quick has struggled in relief of Shesterkin with a 3.17 GAA on the year.
Key skaters: Islanders center Mathew Barzal leads the team with 43 points, including 31 assists, and Bo Horvat paces them with 21 goals. For the Rangers, Artemi Panarin is at 57 points with 19 goals and 38 assists. Mika Zibanejad leads the team with 21 goals and heavy shot volume on the top unit.
The Islanders list Ryan Pulock out and Kyle Palmieri on long-term injured reserve, though they have performed well without them on the ice. The Rangers have dealt with absences for Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin and Shesterkin's absence has been especially costly for them.
Betting Trends & H2H
The Islanders are 2-0 against the Rangers this season.
The Isles have outscored the Rangers 7-0 combined over their two meetings this year.
Entering this contest, the Rangers are 16-12-2 on the road for the year. Their road record has been better than their record at home.
The Islanders come into this game at 14-9-2 on home ice for the season.
Rangers vs Islanders Model Projection
Score Projection: New York Rangers 2 – New York Islanders 3 Win Probability: New York Rangers 43%, New York Islanders 57%
Final Thoughts
My best bet for this matchup is for the New York Islanders to come away with a win at home over their New York rivals. The Rangers might be better on the road than they are at home, but that isn't saying much given how bad the Rangers have been on home ice this season. The Isles have dominated the Rangers in their two previous meetings this season and I expect that trend to continue here.
Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.
Affiliate Disclosure
ATS.io uses affiliate links. If you sign up through a link on this page, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Rankings are based on hands-on testing and published criteria, and affiliate relationships do not determine placement.
