Early look The full preview opens on Sunday 28 February, 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 York Rangers: game preview

Puck drop3 Mar · 7:00 PM ET
VenueMadison Square Garden
All-time meetings750 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twenty-three points apart last season

Boston finished last season 8th in the league on 100 points. NY Rangers finished 30th on 77, and the 2025-26 season series went NYR 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 751

Across 750 completed games, Boston lead the head-to-head 402-313-35.

All-time record402-313-35Boston's record in the series
Meetings played750This is number 751
2025-26 seriesNYR 2-1-0
Last 53-2NY Rangers
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
29 SepNYR 0 – BOS 324–23NYR 0/1 · BOS 0/1BOS
26 Jan 2026BOS 3 – NYR 4 OT——NYR
10 Jan 2026NYR 2 – BOS 10——BOS
28 Nov 2025NYR 6 – BOS 2——NYR
5 Feb 2025BOS 2 – NYR 3——NYR
Head-to-head finder

The table on each meeting night

DateBostonNY Rangers
28 Nov 202514-12-0 · 28 pts18th13-11-2 · 28 pts17th
10 Jan 202624-19-2 · 50 pts16th20-20-6 · 46 pts23rd
26 Jan 202630-20-3 · 63 pts10th22-25-6 · 50 pts28th
29 Sep1-0-0 · 2 pts2nd0-1-0 · 0 pts32nd

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 28 Nov 2025, Boston were 18th in the league and NY Rangers 17th. By 29 Sep it was 2nd and 32nd.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

NY Rangers out-attempted Boston 226 to 224

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

Boston Bruins

224 att · 102 on goal · 18 G · 17.6%
Crease11 att · 3 G
Slot87 att · 11 G
Wing93 att · 4 G
Point32 att · 0 G
Neutral zone1 att · 0 G

New York Rangers

226 att · 118 on goal · 12 G · 10.2%
Crease23 att · 2 G
Slot92 att · 4 G
Wing78 att · 5 G
Point29 att · 0 G
Neutral zone4 att · 1 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.

BostonNY Rangers
2.87xG for per game3.44
3.13xG against per game2.77
47.8%xG share55.4%
−2.5FinishingGoals minus expected goals−1.2
+1.5GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+5.8

This season: 4 games for Boston, 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

Boston

Small sample
Power play · 2026-270.0%
Power play · 2025-2623.4% · 9th
Power play · last 5 meetings0/1 · 0.0%
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 meetings1 (0.20/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 meetings0/1 · 0.0%
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 meetings1 (0.20/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2716 (3.20/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Fraser Minten has 2 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
47Mark Kastelic41230.75
10JJ Peterka42020.50
44James Hagens42020.50
93Mika Zibanejad51451.00
94Gabe Perreault52240.80
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
27Hampus Lindholm41120.50
91Nikita Zadorov40220.50
6Mason Lohrei40220.50
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 27 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 28 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Boston crease

BOS · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 28 Feb

Jeremy Swayman.9143 GP · 2-1-0 · GSAx +1.4
Michael DiPietro.8971 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −0.7
#vs NYRAppsSAGASV%
1Jeremy Swayman12401.000

NY Rangers crease

NYR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 28 Feb

Igor Shesterkin.9264 GP · 3-1-0 · GSAx +4.6
Dylan Garand1.0001 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +1.4
#vs BOSAppsSAGASV%
31Igor Shesterkin1222.909

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

29 Sep3 · NYR 0–3 BOS
26 Jan 20267 · BOS 3–4 NYR
10 Jan 202612 · NYR 2–10 BOS
28 Nov 20258 · NYR 6–2 BOS
5 Feb 20255 · BOS 2–3 NYR

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

Team news

5 on the injury lists

Boston · injuries

Charlie McAvoySuspensionOutReturn13 Oct

NY Rangers · injuries

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

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
#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
#5Alberts SmitsRound 1 · MunchenD
#64Benjamin MacBeathRound 2 · CalgaryD
#67Danai ShaiikovRound 3 · GatineauG
#77Charlie MorrisonRound 3 · QuebecD
Full draft

Updated after every final