It'll be a night of celebration at TD Garden, as the home team's new captain, David Pastrnak, will lead the Boston Bruins to the ice for the first time with the C on his chest. The New York Rangers hope to spoil their party on the league's opening night, but the surprising playoff team from Boston returns much of the same lineup, while the Rangers' big addition was Pavel Dorofeyev. Still, for a team that was on the outside looking in during the 2025-26 season, it might not be enough to get them to contention.
One hit to the Bruins' chances is a six-game suspension to star defenseman Charlie McAvoy. With McAvoy out, the team will rely on Rangers cast-off Will Borgen to anchor the team's top defense pair alongside Hampus Lindholm. Luckily for the Bruins, they had some experience playing without their best defenseman last season and had an impressive 8-5-0 record in those games.
This game will also feature an All-Star goaltending matchup, as the Bruins' Vezina finalist Jeremy Swayman will face former trophy winner Igor Shesterkin. It could be a low-scoring game, but the excitement of the home opener, the debut of JJ Peterka on Pastrnak's line, and some young offensive energy from James Hagens should be enough to get Boston over the top.
Rangers vs Bruins prediction: Bruins ML (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.
