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The New York Rangers and Boston Bruins will meet on Opening Night of the 2026-27 NHL season Tuesday. Puck drop is set for 8:00 p.m. EDT at TD Garden in Boston, Mass. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.
The Bruins are slight moneyline favorites at -115, with the Rangers at -105 to pull off the upset. The over/under is set at 5.5 (-130o / +110u).
Let's get into our Rangers vs. Bruins predictions and NHL picks.
Rangers vs. Bruins Prediction
- Pick: Rangers Moneyline (-105, DraftKings | Play to -110)
Our New York vs. Boston best bet is on New York to win, with the best odds currently available at DraftKings. For all of your NHL bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NHL odds page.
Rangers vs Bruins Odds
| Rangers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -260 | 5.5 -125o / +104u | -100 |
| Bruins Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +207 | 5.5 -125o / +104u | -117 |
- Rangers vs. Bruins puck line: Bruins -1.5 (+215), Rangers +1.5 (-265)
- Rangers vs. Bruins over/under: 5.5 (-130o / +110u)
- Rangers vs. Bruins moneyline: Rangers -105, Bruins -115
- Rangers vs. Bruins best bet: Rangers Moneyline (-105)
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Rangers vs Bruins Preview
New York Rangers Preview
After finishing with 77 points in 2025-26 and ultimately securing the fifth overall pick, Rangers GM Chris Drury opted to go in an interesting direction this summer in angling his team to be significantly more competitive this season, as opposed to committing to a full rebuild.
While a longer rebuild may have actually been the most logical decision given that the team's offensive core likely will prove to lack truly elite talent relative to true Eastern Conference contenders, it is still fair to say that New York is a logical candidate to be much improved.
The Rangers will offer an entirely new second defensive pairing after acquiring Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi, who will likely form a very solid second pairing behind Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov. They also used the 5th overall selection to draft Alberts Smits, who reportedly had an excellent camp and appears to have secured a spot on the opening night roster.
The additions of Pettersson, Durzi, and Smits, coupled with a healthy season from Fox, should provide the team with a rock-solid defensive core.
New York also acquired 37-goal scorer Pavel Dorofeyev, who adds a much-needed high-end finisher into the offensive mix. J.T. Miller working as the second-line center may be a concern, but if Gabe Perreault and Alexis Lafreniere take steps in the right direction, the top six could be quite respectable, while the third line of Will Cuylle, Noah Laba, and Eeli Tolvanen will likely be quite effective.
Igor Shesterkin has been one of the league's few consistently elite goaltenders, perhaps even more so than is credited due to the team's consistently average or below-average defensive play throughout the majority of his career. He should be a safe bet to get the start versus another Vezina-caliber goaltender in Jeremy Swayman Tuesday night.
Boston Bruins Preview
The Bruins seemed to be a clear overachiever in 2025-26, or at least during the regular season when they finished with 100 points, before comfortably outplaying the Sabres in Round One. They finished the season ranked 27th in expected goal share per EvolvingHockey, but received incredible goaltending from Swayman and finished chances at a higher-than-expected rate.
The team also received better-than-expected seasons from a number of depth forwards, which may be unlikely to be replicated. Top prospect James Hagens may be able to make an immediate impact in his debut season, while JJ Peterka may score 30 goals. The offensive core still looks quite underwhelming outside of fringe Hart-caliber winger David Pastrnak.
And while a healthy season from Hampus Lindholm upgrades one slot on the defensive core, the unit will be much weaker for the first six games of the season while Charlie McAvoy serves a six-game suspension.
Boston's biggest strength undoubtedly lies in goal with Swayman, who arguably deserved to win the Vezina last season and probably did not get enough credit for covering up some shaky defensive play. Swayman is expected to get the start in goal Tuesday.
Rangers vs. Bruins Preview
Based on last season's results, the Bruins may look to be an obvious bet with this game essentially priced as a pick'em. However, the Rangers may potentially be considerably improved, while Boston seems to be a natural candidate to fall out of playoff contention. The loss of McAvoy is also needle-moving and another reason Opening Night seems to be a good time to start tapping into a potential falloff from Boston.
It's not surprising to me that sharper money has seemingly bet the Rangers down from opening prices in the +105 range (which was the number that I posted to the Action Network app on September 22), but -105 still looks to be a playable number.
Best Bet: Rangers Moneyline (-105, DraftKings | Play to -110)
