We are in the final days of September. All hockey fans know what that means. The New York Rangers will beginning their preseason very shortly and are less than three weeks away from their season opener against the Washington Capitals.
The Rangers are set to play six preseason games before the start of the regular season. Thankfully for them, they are all close in distance. The furthest they will travel is to Boston, which is certainly not an issue compared to how far other NHL teams are. Their other road games will be against the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders, which of course are very close.
The preseason is a very important time for the Rangers. There are some questions heading into the season that will have to be answered. A common talking point has been the right side of the bottom-pair. A few candidates include Nils Lundkvist, Braden Schneider and Zac Jones. Furthermore, it will be intriguing to see what their top-nine forward group looks like. The Pavel Buchnevich trade has opened up a notable spot.
Thus, these six preseason games should help determine what the Rangers’ lineup will look like for the start of the season.
Let’s take a brief look into each game.
New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders: Sunday, September 26th, 7:00 P.M.
Where to watch: MSG, MSG+
The Rangers will face off against the Islanders this weekend for their first of two preseason meetings. Even if it’s just the preseason, it’s always interesting when these two rivals play against each other.
The Islanders have a few new faces who the Rangers could end up seeing as well. Veteran defenseman Zdeno Chara signed with Islanders after 20+ years since his last game with the team. Zach Parise is another big-name veteran who was signed who could be in their lineup. Richard Pánik is not as popular as the other two, but he is another new addition who could be worth watching, too.
New York Rangers vs. Boston Bruins: Tuesday, September 28th, 7:00 P.M.
Where to watch: NHL Network, MSG
Although the Boston Bruins are not in the same division as the Rangers, these two are often linked together because they each are Original Six franchises. Due to this, it’s always worth watching when they play one another, even when in the preseason.
This could be the Rangers first chance to get a look at a lot of new Bruins. The team had themselves an eventful off-season, as they signed Linus Ullmark, Nick Foligno, Derek Forbort, Erik Haula and Tomáš Nosek. Although NHL teams often play their depth players and prospects in preseason tilts, the Rangers should be able to see at least one of them in action.
New York Rangers @ New Jersey Devils: Friday, October 1st, 7:00 P.M.
Where to watch: MSG, NHL Network, MSG+
The Rangers will play another big rival on the first day of October. This is a must-watch for Ranger diehards, as the Devils have so many notable new faces. Dougie Hamilton, Ryan Graves, Tomáš Tatar and Jonathan Bernier present this perfectly.
It also is the Rangers’ first taste of facing the Devils before they see one another in the regular season. Although the Blueshirts are expected to be ahead of them in the standings, they should not take them lightly when looking at all of the good moves they made this summer.
New York Rangers @ Boston Bruins: Saturday, October 2nd, 7:00 P.M.
Where to watch: NHL Network, MSG, NESN+
The second preseason battle between the Rangers and Bruins happens later that same week. Due to the fact that the Rangers play the night before in New Jersey, do not be surprised if you see a different lineup in Boston.
New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils: Wednesday, October 6th, 7:00 P.M.
Where to watch: MSG, MSG+
The second of two preseason games between the Rangers and Devils occurs just five days after their first meeting. At this point, the Rangers should have a stronger idea of what their opening night roster will be. Perhaps that will be displayed through who plays that night.
This will be last time the Rangers see the Devils until November 14th.
New York Rangers @ New York Islanders: Saturday, October 9th, 7:00 P.M.
Where to watch: NHL Network, MSG+
The Rangers play their final preseason game against the team they played first – the New York Islanders. At this point, every Ranger fan will just want the regular season to start, but this is still a game worth paying attention to.
From here, the Rangers will not play the Islanders until November 24th.
After all of this, the Rangers will finally begin the regular season. October 13th cannot come soon enough!