Early look The full preview opens on Friday 22 January, 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

Seattle Kraken at New York Rangers: game preview

Puck drop25 Jan · 7:00 PM ET
VenueMadison Square Garden
All-time meetings10 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Two points apart last season

Seattle finished last season 27th in the league on 79 points. NY Rangers finished 30th on 77.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 11

Across 10 completed games, NY Rangers lead the head-to-head 7-2-1.

All-time record7-2-1NY Rangers's record in the series
Meetings played10This is number 11
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2NY Rangers
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
12 Jan 2026SEA 4 – NYR 2——SEA
1 Nov 2025NYR 3 – SEA 2 OT——NYR
8 Dec 2024SEA 7 – NYR 5——SEA
17 Nov 2024NYR 2 – SEA 0——NYR
16 Jan 2024SEA 2 – NYR 5——NYR
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateSeattleNY Rangers
1 Nov 20255-2-4 · 14 pts13th6-5-2 · 14 pts14th
12 Jan 202621-15-8 · 50 pts18th20-21-6 · 46 pts24th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 1 Nov 2025, Seattle were 13th in the league and NY Rangers 14th. By 12 Jan 2026 it was 18th and 24th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

NY Rangers out-attempted Seattle 130 to 84

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

Seattle Kraken

84 att · 42 on goal · 6 G · 14.3%
Crease5 att · 2 G
Slot30 att · 1 G
Wing32 att · 2 G
Point14 att · 0 G
Neutral zone3 att · 1 G

New York Rangers

130 att · 49 on goal · 5 G · 10.2%
Crease8 att · 2 G
Slot45 att · 1 G
Wing60 att · 1 G
Point15 att · 1 G
Neutral zone2 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

NY Rangers 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.

SeattleNY Rangers
2.60xG for per game3.44
3.14xG against per game2.77
45.3%xG share55.4%
+4.6FinishingGoals minus expected goals−1.2
+1.6GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+5.8

This season: 4 games for Seattle, 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

Seattle

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2725.0%
Power play · 2025-2619.5% · 20th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2772.7%
Penalty kill · 2025-2672.2% · 31st
Faceoffs · 2026-2749.6% · 121/244
Drawn · 2026-2712 (3.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2711 (2.75/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
19Jared McCann41451.25
7Jordan Eberle42241.00
93Mika Zibanejad51451.00
94Gabe Perreault52240.80
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
29Vince Dunn41341.00
62Brandon Montour40220.50
41Ryker Evans40220.50
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 23 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 23 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Seattle crease

SEA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 22 Jan

Joey Daccord.9113 GP · 2-1-0 · GSAx +1.0
Philipp Grubauer.9062 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx +1.1

No appearances against NY Rangers in the last meetings.

NY Rangers crease

NYR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 22 Jan

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

No appearances against Seattle in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 5.9 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

12 Jan 20266 · SEA 4–2 NYR
1 Nov 20255 · NYR 3–2 SEA
8 Dec 202412 · SEA 7–5 NYR
17 Nov 20242 · NYR 2–0 SEA
16 Jan 20247 · SEA 2–5 NYR

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Seattle3.752.752.763.21
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 suggest5.9Goals 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

7 on the injury lists

Seattle · injuries

Jacob MelansonUpper BodyIRReturn17 Oct
Jake O'BrienLower BodyIRReturn24 Oct
Ryan LindgrenUpper BodyDay-to-dayReturn9 Oct

NY Rangers · injuries

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

Activated RW/C Mackie Samoskevich from injured reserve. Placed RW Jacob Melanson on injured reserve.

27 Sep · SEA

Placed C Jake O'Brien and RW Mackie Samoskevich on injured reserve.

21 Sep · SEA

Placed F Jon-Randall Avon, F John Hayden, F Logan Morrison and G Victor Ostman on waivers.

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
#7Chase ReidRound 1 · Sault Ste. MarieD
#38Casey MutrynRound 2 · Usa U-18RW
#99Viktor FedorovRound 4 · Torpedo-gorky NnC
#131Finn KearnsRound 5 · St. Andrews CollegeD
Full draft
#5Alberts SmitsRound 1 · MunchenD
#64Benjamin MacBeathRound 2 · CalgaryD
#67Danai ShaiikovRound 3 · GatineauG
#77Charlie MorrisonRound 3 · QuebecD
Full draft

Updated after every final