The Bruins’ season begins with an Original Six matchup, a nationally televised opener against the Rangers at TD Garden, and a fresh look after a summer of changes.
Boston is back on the ice to start its first 84-game season since 1993-94, and this one arrives after 151 days away from game action. The shortened training camp is over, and the Bruins head into the opener with several new faces and a reshuffled blue line.
One of the biggest changes came through a trade with New York for defenseman Will Borgen, who is set to move straight onto Boston’s top pair with Hampus Lindholm while Charlie McAvoy serves a six-game suspension. The Bruins also dealt Joonas Korpisalo to the Rangers in a separate move, though Korpisalo is not expected to start for New York in this game.
The opener also carries a little extra spotlight because it will be the first NHL meeting between former Boston College teammates James Hagens and Gabe Perreault.
“It’s awesome,” Hagens said on Monday. “I’ve been texting with him the past couple of days. He’s a good buddy of mine, so it’ll be cool.”
Boston has generally handled its season openers well. The Bruins have won six of their last seven to start a season, with the lone defeat in that stretch coming against the Florida Panthers in 2024. At home, they’ve also taken six of their last seven season-openers dating back to 2012.
The Bruins and Rangers haven’t opened a season against each other since the lockout-shortened 2013 campaign.
Jeremy Swayman is expected to get the start for Boston after going 31-18-4 with a 2.71 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage in 2025-26. Igor Shesterkin is the expected starter for New York after posting a 25-19-6 record with a 2.50 GAA and a .912 save percentage.
New York’s expected lineup includes Oliver Bjorkstrand, JT Miller and Pavel Dorofeyev on the top line, with Perreault skating alongside Mika Zibanejad and Alex Lafreniere. The Rangers’ blue line is projected to feature Vladislav Gavrikov with Adam Fox, while Marcus Pettersson pairs with Sean Durzi and Alberts Šmits with Braden Schneider.
The special teams numbers offer another early measuring stick. Boston enters at 23.4 percent on the power play, good for ninth, while its penalty kill sits at 77.0 percent, 24th. The Rangers come in with a 24.7 percent power play, fifth in the league, and a 79.9 percent penalty kill, 15th.
After the opener, Boston’s schedule keeps moving fast with a trip to Winnipeg on Friday, Oct. 2, followed by games at Minnesota on Saturday, Oct. 3, then home dates against Ottawa on Monday, Oct. 6, Utah on Thursday, Oct. 8, and Philadelphia on Saturday, Oct. 10.
The Bruins are scheduled to skate at TD Garden at 10:30 a.m. Monday, with updates from Marco Sturm to follow.
In Other News...
Bruins Opening Night Roster Comes With Two Early Concerns
Opening night is finally set for the Bruins, and the roster theyll bring to TD Garden against the Rangers has a different look than the one fans were expecting a few weeks ago. Boston has settled on a group of 13 forwards, eight defensemen and two goaltenders, with newcomers like JJ Peterka and Will Borgen part of the mix as the club starts the 2026-27 season with some fresh pieces in place.
The early challenge, though, is obvious before the puck even drops. Charlie McAvoy will be unavailable for the first six games, and Matt Poitras is beginning the year on injured reserve, leaving Boston to sort out its lineup balance right away. For a team that wanted a stable start, those absences turn an opening-night home date into an immediate test of depth and adaptability. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Open With A Roster Tension Fans Can't Ignore
The Bruins open their season at home against the Rangers, and the first night already carries a little extra weight beyond the usual October atmosphere. Boston spent the offseason trying to sharpen the roster with additions like JJ Peterka, Will Borgen and Connor Clifton, signaling a clear push to look more complete right away and give the new group a faster foundation.
Even with those changes, there is still a sense that the roster is not fully settled, which is part of what makes the early stretch worth watching. Peterka and rookie James Hagens are expected to help drive the scoring, but the bigger question for Boston is how the lineup holds together if the results do not come quickly, especially with several players already mentioned in trade speculation around the league. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Fans Have Every Right To Be Frustrated By This Center Plan
The Bruins are heading toward the 2026-27 season with an opening-night look that has plenty of people in the fan base scratching their heads. Recent practice work suggested Elias Lindholm could open as the top center between JJ Peterka and David Pastrnak, a configuration that speaks volumes about where Boston is trying to make its impact and where it still may be short. For a team that has spent time searching for a true answer down the middle, it is the kind of setup that invites immediate debate before the season even starts.
Don Sweeney has tried to frame the issue around overall depth rather than neat center labels, and that distinction matters because it hints at how the Bruins view Lindholm in the lineup. The problem is that the roster picture still leaves open the same old question about whether Boston has actually solved its need for a legitimate top-line center, or is simply arranging pieces until something better emerges. However the lines eventually settle, the early signs suggest this conversation is far from finished. [Read more 🡒]