New Jersey Devils vs New York Rangers 21 September 2026 Prediction

  Prediction by   Gevorg Danielyan     September 20, 2026 

This will be New Jersey’s second preseason game, while the Rangers will make their preseason debut. All three meetings last regular season were decided by three goals. Both teams missed the playoffs and will look to improve this season.

Devils Aim to Improve After Missing the Playoffs

New Jersey failed to qualify for the playoffs last season. The Devils had major problems on offense, scoring only 230 goals, the lowest total in the Eastern Conference. Anthony Mantha was brought in to improve the attack after scoring 33 goals for Pittsburgh last regular season. New Jersey also added two-time Stanley Cup champion Evan Rodrigues, who recorded 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) for Florida. The Devils also signed captain Nico Hischier to a new five-year contract.

Rangers Add One of Last Season’s Top Goal Scorers

The Rangers finished last in the Eastern Conference standings last regular season. New York responded with an active offseason. Pavel Dorofeyev is expected to be the most significant addition after scoring 37 regular-season goals for Vegas and another 12 in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Russian forward signed a seven-year contract. The Rangers also strengthened their defense by acquiring Marcus Pettersson from Vancouver in exchange for a 2030 first-round pick.

Recent Head-to-Head Games Have Been One-Sided

The teams met three times last regular season. New Jersey won the only game at home 6-3 and recorded another 6-3 victory in the first road matchup. The Rangers won the other game in New York 4-1.

New Jersey Devils vs New York Rangers Prediction: New Jersey Devils to Win

Main prediction: This will be the Rangers’ first preseason game, while New Jersey has already played once. The Devils have also won three of the past four official head-to-head meetings. New York may use a less than full-strength roster and rest some key players for its home preseason games. With home-ice advantage also favoring the Devils, the preferred pick is New Jersey Devils to win.

Goals prediction: An open preseason game is likely, with neither team expected to take a conservative approach. Two of last season’s three meetings produced at least nine total goals. The secondary pick is over 5.5 goals.