Early look The full preview opens on Tuesday 15 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

Nashville Predators at New York Rangers: game preview

Puck drop18 Dec · 7:00 PM ET
VenueMadison Square Garden
All-time meetings41 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Nine points apart last season

Nashville finished last season 23rd in the league on 86 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 42

Across 41 completed games, NY Rangers lead the head-to-head 21-17-3.

All-time record21-17-3NY Rangers's record in the series
Meetings played41This is number 42
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2NY Rangers
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
21 Dec 2025NYR 1 – NSH 2——NSH
10 Nov 2025NSH 3 – NYR 6——NYR
2 Mar 2025NSH 0 – NYR 4——NYR
17 Dec 2024NYR 0 – NSH 2——NSH
2 Dec 2023NYR 4 – NSH 3——NYR
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNashvilleNY Rangers
10 Nov 20255-9-4 · 14 pts30th8-7-2 · 18 pts20th
21 Dec 202515-16-4 · 34 pts26th18-16-4 · 40 pts18th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 10 Nov 2025, Nashville were 30th in the league and NY Rangers 20th. By 21 Dec 2025 it was 26th and 18th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Nashville out-attempted NY Rangers 122 to 85

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

Nashville Predators

122 att · 62 on goal · 5 G · 8.1%
Crease7 att · 0 G
Slot33 att · 2 G
Wing59 att · 2 G
Point20 att · 0 G
Neutral zone3 att · 1 G

New York Rangers

85 att · 35 on goal · 7 G · 20.0%
Crease6 att · 2 G
Slot30 att · 3 G
Wing31 att · 1 G
Point18 att · 1 G
Neutral zone0 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.

NashvilleNY Rangers
2.50xG for per game3.44
3.14xG against per game2.77
44.3%xG share55.4%
−0.5FinishingGoals minus expected goals−1.2
+0.4GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+5.8

This season: 3 games for Nashville, 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

Nashville

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2737.5%
Power play · 2025-2623.1% · 11th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2775.0%
Penalty kill · 2025-2681.7% · 5th
Faceoffs · 2026-2747.6% · 80/168
Drawn · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-278 (2.67/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
91Steven Stamkos33141.33
21Nils Hoglander33031.00
93Mika Zibanejad51451.00
94Gabe Perreault52240.80
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
59Roman Josi31231.00
76Brady Skjei30110.33
47Jack Ahcan20110.50
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 15 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 16 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Nashville crease

NSH · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 15 Dec

Juuse Saros.9073 GP · 1-1-1 · GSAx +0.4

No appearances against NY Rangers in the last meetings.

NY Rangers crease

NYR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 15 Dec

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

No appearances against Nashville 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

21 Dec 20253 · NYR 1–2 NSH
10 Nov 20259 · NSH 3–6 NYR
2 Mar 20254 · NSH 0–4 NYR
17 Dec 20242 · NYR 0–2 NSH
2 Dec 20237 · NYR 4–3 NSH

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Nashville2.333.003.013.28
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 meetings5.0Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

5 on the injury lists

Nashville · injuries

Justus AnnunenUndisclosedIRReturn13 Oct

NY Rangers · injuries

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

Recalled G Matt Murray from Milwaukee (AHL). Placed G Justus Annunen on injured reserve.

4 Oct · NSH

Recalled LW Yegor Pinchuk from Milwaukee (AHL). Assigned G Matt Murray to Milwaukee.

3 Oct · NSH

Recalled G Matthew Murray from Milwaukee (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
#10Wyatt CullenRound 1 · Usa U-18LW
#31Thomas BleylRound 1 · MonctonD
#70Dmitri BorichevRound 3 · Loko-76 YaroslavlG
#106Jakub FlorisRound 4 · Lukko Jr.D
Full draft
#5Alberts SmitsRound 1 · MunchenD
#64Benjamin MacBeathRound 2 · CalgaryD
#67Danai ShaiikovRound 3 · GatineauG
#77Charlie MorrisonRound 3 · QuebecD
Full draft

Updated after every final