Early look The full preview opens on Wednesday 16 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

Boston Bruins at New Jersey Devils: game preview

Puck drop19 Dec · 12:00 PM ET
VenuePrudential Center
All-time meetings180 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Thirteen points apart last season

Boston finished last season 8th in the league on 100 points. New Jersey finished 21st on 87.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 181

Across 180 completed games, Boston lead the head-to-head 99-52-29.

All-time record99-52-29Boston's record in the series
Meetings played180This is number 181
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Boston
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
14 Apr 2026NJD 0 – BOS 4——BOS
16 Mar 2026BOS 3 – NJD 4 OT——NJD
6 Dec 2025NJD 1 – BOS 4——BOS
15 Apr 2025NJD 5 – BOS 4 OT——NJD
8 Apr 2025BOS 7 – NJD 2——BOS
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateBostonNew Jersey
6 Dec 202517-13-0 · 34 pts10th16-12-1 · 33 pts16th
16 Mar 202637-23-7 · 81 pts10th34-31-2 · 70 pts23rd
14 Apr 202645-27-10 · 100 pts8th42-37-3 · 87 pts21st

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 6 Dec 2025, Boston were 10th in the league and New Jersey 16th. By 14 Apr 2026 it was 8th and 21st.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

New Jersey out-attempted Boston 205 to 149

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

Boston Bruins

149 att · 70 on goal · 11 G · 15.7%
Crease16 att · 1 G
Slot53 att · 9 G
Wing47 att · 0 G
Point27 att · 0 G
Neutral zone6 att · 1 G

New Jersey Devils

205 att · 85 on goal · 5 G · 5.9%
Crease8 att · 1 G
Slot79 att · 3 G
Wing73 att · 1 G
Point38 att · 0 G
Neutral zone7 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.

BostonNew Jersey
2.87xG for per game3.52
3.13xG against per game3.01
47.8%xG share53.9%
−2.5FinishingGoals minus expected goals−4.5
+1.5GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−4.0

This season: 4 games for Boston, 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

Boston

Small sample
Power play · 2026-270.0%
Power play · 2025-2623.4% · 9th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2772.7%
Penalty kill · 2025-2677.0% · 24th
Faceoffs · 2026-2750.4% · 117/232
Drawn · 2026-2710 (2.50/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2711 (2.75/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

New Jersey

Small sample
Power play · 2026-277.1%
Power play · 2025-2622.0% · 13th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
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 meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-278 (2.67/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
47Mark Kastelic41230.75
10JJ Peterka42020.50
44James Hagens42020.50
86Jack Hughes31120.67
63Jesper Bratt30220.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
27Hampus Lindholm41120.50
91Nikita Zadorov40220.50
6Mason Lohrei40220.50
43Luke Hughes31010.33
47Declan Chisholm30110.33
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 17 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 17 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Boston crease

BOS · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 16 Dec

Jeremy Swayman.9143 GP · 2-1-0 · GSAx +1.4
Michael DiPietro.8971 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −0.7

No appearances against New Jersey in the last meetings.

New Jersey crease

NJD · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 16 Dec

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

No appearances against Boston 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

14 Apr 20264 · NJD 0–4 BOS
16 Mar 20267 · BOS 3–4 NJD
6 Dec 20255 · NJD 1–4 BOS
15 Apr 20259 · NJD 5–4 BOS
8 Apr 20259 · BOS 7–2 NJD

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Boston2.252.753.323.05
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 suggest6.0Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings6.8Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

6 on the injury lists

Boston · injuries

Charlie McAvoySuspensionOutReturn13 Oct

New Jersey · injuries

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

Reinstated C Matthew Poitras from injured reserve.

4 Oct · BOS

Placed RW Michael Eyssimont on waivers.

27 Sep · BOS

Placed D Henri Jokiharju on waivers. Placed C Matthew Poitras on injured reserve.

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
#56Yuri IvanovRound 2 · Spartak Jr.G
#88Nils BartholdssonRound 3 · Rogle Jr.RW
#104Matvei KotkovRound 4 · Yaroslavl Jr.RW
#122Oscar OlssonRound 4 · Orebro Jr.LW
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