The New York Rangers won’t have much time to ease into the 2026-27 season. From Opening Night in Boston and emotional returns with former fan favorites to meetings with Metro Division rivals and late-season games that could carry playoff implications, the schedule is loaded with must-watch matchups.
Plenty can happen over the course of the expanded 84-game season that changes how some of the matchups are/will be viewed. Unexpected storylines will emerge, and games that don’t seem significant in July could suddenly become can’t-miss action in March.
But as things stand, with the NHL releasing the full 2026-27 schedule on Thursday, here are 10 games that Rangers fans should have circled on their calendar before the puck drops.
Rangers 2026-27 schedule: 10 must-see games
Sept. 29: at Boston Bruins
The Rangers’ season opener is worth circling every year, but after an offseason that reshaped much of the roster, Opening Night at TD Garden will be fans’ first chance to see newcomers such as Pavel Dorofeyev, Sean Durzi, Marcus Pettersson and Oliver Bjorkstrand. It also comes against the same Bruins team that dismantled the Rangers in their worst loss of last season, a 10-2 beating on Jan. 10 in Boston — and should give the Rangers plenty of motivation heading into opening night. Throw in an Original Six matchup, along with facing ex-Rangers defenseman Will Borgen making his debut with the Bruins following a trade and new Rangers goaltender Joonas Korpisalo possibly facing his former team. It makes for the perfect way to kick off what the Rangers hope to be a much different season than 2025-26.
Oct. 1: vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
The Rangers begin their 101st home season with a tough challenge. The Lightning have made the Stanley Cup Playoffs nine years running and have two of the NHL’s premier players in forward Nikita Kucherov, the reigning Hart Trophy winner, and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, last season’s Vezina Trophy winner. The Bolts are making the first of their two early-season visits to Madison Square Garden; they’re back on Oct. 13 — and not again this season.
Oct. 4: vs. Utah Mammoth
Vincent Trocheck will return to Madison Square Garden for the first time since being traded to the Mammoth on July 1 when the Mammoth make their lone visit to MSG. Trocheck became one of the most popular players on the team during his four seasons in New York, playing a role in just about every memorable Rangers’ moment during that time. His first game back will almost certainly include a tribute video and a standing ovation from the Garden Faithful. Defenseman Sean Durzi, the principal return piece in the trade, will also be facing his former team for the first time since the deal.
Nov. 22 vs. Carolina Hurricanes
This game marks the first time ex-Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller will face his old team as a Stanley Cup champion after helping Carolina win it all in June. Miller remains one of the more polarizing players in recent Rangers history, with some fans happy to see him succeed and others still frustrated with his play in New York. Miller also didn’t shy away from chirping his critics after lifting the Cup, saying, “I had a lot of people count me out. … I can’t wait for them to see my ring.” This game and another visit by the Hurricanes to MSG eight days later figure to give the Rangers a a good measuring stick for where they stack up against one of the NHL’s best teams.
Dec. 7-15-22: vs. New Jersey Devils
Rangers-Devils games are always intense, and there’s no reason to think this season will be any different. As was the case last season, the local rivals face off three times in the same month — this time in December instead of March. The first and third meetings will be at MSG on Dec. 7 and Dec. 22, with the second game coming at Prudential Center on Dec. 15. Whether it’s the seven-game playoff series in 2023, the line brawl back in 2024, or Igor Shesterkin and Jacob Markstrom dropping the gloves last season, these two teams always clash.
Jan. 9-11-12: at San Jose/Los Angeles/Anaheim
The Rangers’ three-game swing through California will feel like a reunion tour. After opening the road trip against ex-captain Jacob Trouba and the on-the-rise Sharks on Jan. 9, the Rangers head to Los Angeles to take on ex-Blueshirts Artemi Panarin and Mats Zuccarello. They complete the trip the following night against the Ducks and former Blueshirt Chris Kreider, whose 326 goals as a Ranger are third in franchise history. Rangers fans will get to see four of the biggest names from their team’s recent past on the other side of the ice in a four-night span.
Feb. 12: vs. New York Islanders
The Rangers and Islanders have traded sweeps the past two seasons. The Rangers swept the season series in 2024, highlighted by their Stadium Series comeback, but the Islanders returned the favor by winning all four meetings last season. This game at MSG will be the third meeting between the teams this season; they face off again six days later at UBS Arena. Rangers fans also still haven’t seen their team beat Calder Trophy-winning defenseman Matthew Schaeffer — another reason to have this one circled.
Feb. 23-26: vs. Washington Capitals
The Rangers and Capitals face off in a home-and-home set, beginning at Capital One Arena before coming to the Garden. Alex Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring leader, has 46 of his 929 career goals against the Blueshirts as he prepares for his 22nd NHL season. Don’t be surprised if there’s a dose of nastiness: Tom Wilson had a heavy hit on Noah Laba on Dec. 31 before scoring later on the same shift and was also seen chirping at Vladislav Gavrikov after a scrum (trying to draw a reaction). But the Rangers got the last laugh by handing Washington an 8-1 loss late in the season that effectively crushed their hopes of earning a playoff spot. This season’s Rangers should be better equipped for the physical battles, with Durzi and Marcus Pettersson adding more edge to the lineup and a healthy Matt Rempe always being a possibility to stir things up.
April 6: vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
The second of the Rangers’ season-ending three-game homestand could be a big one for both teams. Sidney Crosby & Co. surprised a lot of hockey people last season by ending a three-year playoff drought, while the Rangers are hoping to avoid back-to-back-to-back misses. There’s nothing Rangers coach Mike Sullivan would enjoy more than making the playoffs and knocking out the team he coached for 10 years before coming to New York last season. Crosby has one more season left on his contract, but this could be last call at the Garden for Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, the other two pillars of the Penguins’ three championships under Sullivan.
Related Headlines
About the Author
