Early look The full preview opens on Thursday 10 December, 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

Columbus Blue Jackets at New York Rangers: game preview

Puck drop13 Dec · 6:00 PM ET
VenueMadison Square Garden
All-time meetings60 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Fifteen points apart last season

Columbus finished last season 17th in the league on 92 points. NY Rangers finished 30th on 77, and the 2025-26 season series went CBJ 2-0-1.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 61

Across 60 completed games, NY Rangers lead the head-to-head 32-23-5.

All-time record32-23-5NY Rangers's record in the series
Meetings played60This is number 61
2025-26 seriesCBJ 2-0-1
Last 53-2Columbus
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
19 Mar 2026NYR 3 – CBJ 6——CBJ
2 Mar 2026CBJ 5 – NYR 4 OT——CBJ
15 Nov 2025NYR 2 – CBJ 1 SO——NYR
15 Mar 2025NYR 4 – CBJ 0——NYR
9 Mar 2025CBJ 7 – NYR 3——CBJ
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateColumbusNY Rangers
15 Nov 20259-7-2 · 20 pts22nd10-7-2 · 22 pts14th
2 Mar 202624-20-7 · 55 pts24th22-25-6 · 50 pts28th
19 Mar 202636-21-11 · 83 pts11th28-33-8 · 64 pts30th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 15 Nov 2025, Columbus were 22nd in the league and NY Rangers 14th. By 19 Mar 2026 it was 11th and 30th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

NY Rangers out-attempted Columbus 190 to 168

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

Columbus Blue Jackets

168 att · 93 on goal · 12 G · 12.9%
Crease9 att · 1 G
Slot73 att · 7 G
Wing62 att · 3 G
Point19 att · 0 G
Neutral zone5 att · 1 G

New York Rangers

190 att · 91 on goal · 8 G · 8.8%
Crease15 att · 2 G
Slot68 att · 5 G
Wing66 att · 1 G
Point36 att · 0 G
Neutral zone5 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Columbus and NY Rangers are level on 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.

ColumbusNY Rangers
2.43xG for per game3.44
2.78xG against per game2.77
46.7%xG share55.4%
+2.1FinishingGoals minus expected goals−1.2
−1.4GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+5.8

This season: 2 games for Columbus, 5 for NY Rangers. 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

Columbus

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2740.0%
Power play · 2025-2618.9% · 22nd
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2766.7%
Penalty kill · 2025-2676.0% · 28th
Faceoffs · 2026-2755.9% · 71/127
Drawn · 2026-275 (2.50/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-279 (4.50/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

NY Rangers

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2721.4%
Power play · 2025-2624.7% · 5th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
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 meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2716 (3.20/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
89Matthew Knies22242.00
3Charlie Coyle20331.50
91Kent Johnson21121.00
93Mika Zibanejad51451.00
94Gabe Perreault52240.80
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
8Zach Werenski20221.00
36Emil Andrae20110.50
23Adam Fox50551.00
5Sean Durzi51120.40
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 12 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 11 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Columbus crease

CBJ · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 10 Dec

Jet Greaves.8772 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx −1.4

No appearances against NY Rangers in the last meetings.

NY Rangers crease

NYR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 10 Dec

Igor Shesterkin.9264 GP · 3-1-0 · GSAx +4.6
Dylan Garand1.0001 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +1.4

No appearances against Columbus in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.0 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

19 Mar 20269 · NYR 3–6 CBJ
2 Mar 20269 · CBJ 5–4 NYR
15 Nov 20253 · NYR 2–1 CBJ
15 Mar 20254 · NYR 4–0 CBJ
9 Mar 202510 · CBJ 7–3 NYR

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Columbus3.503.503.093.09
NY Rangers3.201.602.903.05

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 suggest6.0Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings7.0Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

4 on the injury lists

Columbus · injuries

No players listed.

NY Rangers · injuries

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

Placed LW Mikael Pyyhtia on waivers.

1 Oct · CBJ

Placed D Ivan Provorov on injured reserve.

27 Sep · CBJ

Assigned G Pheonix Copley to Cleveland (AHL).

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).

Injury report
#14Oscar HemmingRound 1 · Boston CollegeLW
#94Alessandro Di IorioRound 3 · SarniaC
#121Evan JardineRound 4 · YoungstownLW
#142Parker SnellRound 5 · EdmontonG
Full draft
#5Alberts SmitsRound 1 · MunchenD
#64Benjamin MacBeathRound 2 · CalgaryD
#67Danai ShaiikovRound 3 · GatineauG
#77Charlie MorrisonRound 3 · QuebecD
Full draft

Updated after every final