Early look The full preview opens on Monday 12 October, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

New York Rangers at New Jersey Devils: game preview

Puck drop15 Oct · 7:00 PM ET
VenuePrudential Center
All-time meetings289 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Ten points apart last season

NY Rangers finished last season 30th in the league on 77 points. New Jersey finished 21st on 87, and the 2025-26 season series went NJD 2-1-0.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 290

Across 289 completed games, New Jersey lead the head-to-head 146-120-23.

All-time record146-120-23New Jersey's record in the series
Meetings played289This is number 290
2025-26 seriesNJD 2-1-0
Last 53-2New Jersey
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
31 Mar 2026NJD 1 – NYR 423–23NJD 1/3 · NYR 1/3NYR
18 Mar 2026NJD 6 – NYR 339–18NJD 2/4 · NYR 0/2NJD
7 Mar 2026NYR 3 – NJD 620–35NYR 0/4 · NJD 3/3NJD
5 Apr 2025NYR 0 – NJD 426–16NYR 0/2 · NJD 1/2NJD
9 Jan 2025NJD 2 – NYR 3 OT23–32NJD 0/4 · NYR 2/3NYR
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNY RangersNew Jersey
7 Mar 202622-25-6 · 50 pts28th27-23-2 · 56 pts20th
18 Mar 202628-32-8 · 64 pts29th35-31-2 · 72 pts20th
31 Mar 202631-35-9 · 71 pts29th38-34-2 · 78 pts20th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 7 Mar 2026, NY Rangers were 28th in the league and New Jersey 20th. By 31 Mar 2026 it was 29th and 20th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

New Jersey out-attempted NY Rangers 301 to 268

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

New York Rangers

268 att · 119 on goal · 13 G · 10.9%
Crease26 att · 1 G
Slot105 att · 7 G
Wing82 att · 2 G
Point49 att · 3 G
Neutral zone6 att · 0 G

New Jersey Devils

301 att · 136 on goal · 19 G · 14.0%
Crease18 att · 2 G
Slot119 att · 12 G
Wing115 att · 4 G
Point43 att · 1 G
Neutral zone6 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

New Jersey have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

NY RangersNew Jersey
3.44xG for per game3.52
2.77xG against per game3.01
55.4%xG share53.9%
−1.2FinishingGoals minus expected goals−4.5
+5.8GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−4.0

This season: 5 games for NY Rangers, 3 for New Jersey. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

NY Rangers

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2721.4%
Power play · 2025-2624.7% · 5th
Power play · last 5 meetings3/14 · 21.4%
Penalty kill · 2026-2787.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2679.9% · 15th
Faceoffs · 2026-2752.2% · 151/289
Drawn · 2026-2714 (2.80/gm)
Drawn · last meetings14 (2.80/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2716 (3.20/gm)
PP goals · last meetings3

New Jersey

Small sample
Power play · 2026-277.1%
Power play · 2025-2622.0% · 13th
Power play · last 5 meetings7/16 · 43.8%
Penalty kill · 2026-2762.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2679.3% · 17th
Faceoffs · 2026-2747.5% · 87/183
Drawn · 2026-2714 (4.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings16 (3.20/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
PP goals · last meetings7

Skaters

Jack Hughes has 9 points in the last 5 meetings

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away, then who has produced in the last meetings.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
93Mika Zibanejad51451.00
94Gabe Perreault52240.80
86Jack Hughes31120.67
63Jesper Bratt30220.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
23Adam Fox50551.00
5Sean Durzi51120.40
43Luke Hughes31010.33
47Declan Chisholm30110.33
Defencemen stats

Jack Hughes vs NY Rangers · game by game

See all: Jack Hughes vs NY Rangers · game by game →
DateVenueGAPSOGTOI
31 Mar 2026away000421:58
18 Mar 2026away123517:48
7 Mar 2026home314520:44
9 Jan 2025away112325:06
Last 5 meetings9 P5 G, 4 A · 17 SOG
Next best8 PJesper Bratt, NJD
2026-27 season2 P3 GP · 1 G
Blank vs NYR1 of 4
Full game log

Goaltending

Igor Shesterkin has started most of these meetings

Igor Shesterkin played 3 of the last 5 meetings with New Jersey, with a .902 save percentage. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 13 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 13 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

NYR · 3-1-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 12 Oct

SV% · 2026-27.9264 GP · 1.75 GAA · 2025-26 .912
vs New Jersey.9023 app · 61 SA · 6 GA
GSAx · 2026-27+4.64 starts · most on the roster
vs NJDVenueSAGASV%
31 Mar 2026home231.957
5 Apr 2025away153.800
9 Jan 2025home232.913

Also on the roster, 2026-27: Dylan Garand 1.000 (1 GP)

Full game log

New Jersey crease

NJD · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 12 Oct

Jake Allen.8752 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx −1.7
Nico Daws.8131 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −2.5

No appearances against NY Rangers in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 5.8 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

31 Mar 20265 · NJD 1–4 NYR
18 Mar 20269 · NJD 6–3 NYR
7 Mar 20269 · NYR 3–6 NJD
5 Apr 20254 · NYR 0–4 NJD
9 Jan 20255 · NJD 2–3 NYR

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
NY Rangers3.201.602.903.05
New Jersey2.004.332.803.10

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest5.8Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings6.4Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

9 on the injury lists

NY Rangers · injuries

Adam SykoraLower BodyIRReturn25 Jan
Aidan ThompsonUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct
Joe VelenoLower BodyIRReturn13 Oct
Joonas KorpisaloLower BodyIRReturn9 Oct

New Jersey · injuries

Connor BrownLower BodyOutReturn12 Oct
Johnathan KovacevicKneeIRReturn10 Oct
Jonas SiegenthalerUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn10 Oct
Nick BjugstadPectoralIRReturn19 Jan
Seamus CaseyKneeIRReturn21 Nov
6 Oct · NYR

Recalled C Gabriel Beaudoin from Hartford (AHL). Placed C Joe Veleno on injured reserve.

5 Oct · NYR

Placed D Matthew Robertson on waivers.

1 Oct · NYR

Placed G Joonas Korpisalo on injured reserve. Recalled G Dylan Garand from Hartford (AHL).

27 Sep · NJD

Claimed LW Jeremie Poirier off waivers.

27 Sep · NJD

Claimed LW Jeremie Poirier off waivers. Placed C/RW Marc McLaughlin, LD Vladislav Kolyachonok, G David Rittich, LW Riley Tufte, LD Topias Vilen, and C/RW Colin White on waivers.

25 Sep · NJD

Assigned Ds Mikael Diotte, Ethan Edwards, Jeremy Hanzel, Etienne Morin and Anton Silaev, Fs Josh Filmon, Lenni Hameenaho, Shane Lachance, Matyas Melovsky, Xavier Parent, Cam Squires and Ben Steeves and G Jakub Malek to Utica (AHL). Waived for the purpose of assignment to Utica Ds DJ King, Charles Leddy and Eamon Powell, Fs Tristan Ashbrook, Zachary Gallant, Gabe Klassen, Jack Malone, Justin Pearson, Ryan Schmelzer, Cristophe Tellier and Jermey Wilmer and Gs Jeremy Brodeur and Seth Eisele.

Injury report
#5Alberts SmitsRound 1 · MunchenD
#64Benjamin MacBeathRound 2 · CalgaryD
#67Danai ShaiikovRound 3 · GatineauG
#77Charlie MorrisonRound 3 · QuebecD
Full draft
#12Alexander CommandRound 1 · Orebro Jr.C
#37Matias VanhanenRound 2 · EverettLW
#44Nikita ShcherbakovRound 2 · Ufa Jr.D
#119Lavr GashilovRound 4 · Yekaterinburg Jr.C
Full draft

Updated after every final