New Jersey Devils vs New York Rangers prediction: New York Rangers tipped to edge it (61.5%)
The New York Rangers hold a 57.7 per cent probability of winning away at the Prudential Center despite the absence of their first-choice goalkeeper.
New Jersey sit 19th in the NHL table with a 2-2-0 record after four games while the New York Rangers occupy seventh place on 5-2-0. The visitors have taken four wins from their last five outings and the hosts have collected three wins from theirs, yet the difference in points accumulated already shows in the standings.
Both sides enter the match after victories in their most recent fixtures. The Devils have alternated results across their opening stretch and the Rangers have dropped just one of five, which has kept them among the early pacesetters in the Eastern Conference.
Team news and confirmed absences
Line-ups remain unconfirmed at this stage. Reporting confirms that Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin suffered a right knee injury on 10 October and will miss the remainder of the season. Dylan Garand stepped in for the next match and recorded a 6-2 win against the Vancouver Canucks with 19 saves.
No comparable updates have emerged on the Devils side. The two clubs therefore meet with the visitors operating under a significant change in their net.
How the numbers frame the contest
Our probabilities assign the Rangers a 57.7 per cent chance of victory and the Devils 42.3 per cent. That margin places the visitors as slight favourites on the road. The 15-point gap in their respective win totals after seven games for one side and four for the other supplies the clearest separation in the projection.
The early-season standings already reward the Rangers for their superior points haul. A narrow home edge for New Jersey is offset by the visitors' better recent results and higher position, leaving little room for the model to shift the favourite status.
Expected shape of the game
The projection sees the match decided by the Rangers' ability to maintain their early-season consistency even without their established goalkeeper. Their 5-2-0 start supplies the main weight behind the 57.7 per cent probability. The main way that outcome unravels is if New Jersey convert home advantage into an early lead and force the Rangers into chasing territory.
Goals markets are not detailed in the available data, yet the narrow probability spread suggests a contest that could stay low-scoring given the defensive emphasis both sides have shown in their opening fixtures.
Reporting referenced: Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Sports.
Team news
- NHL Power Rankings: Each team's NHL Rank representatives — It's the first regular-season update of our 1-32 poll. Plus, how many players did each team land among the Top 100? (ESPN, 2026-10-12)
- NHL Tonight: Golden Knights, Wild pair off in early-season Western showdown — With just three games on the NHL calendar Monday, here are game previews, betting lines, updated stat leaders and more. (ESPN, 2026-10-12)
- Without Shesterkin, New York Rangers lean on Garand in win — Two days after losing starting goaltender Igor Shesterkin for the season with a knee injury, Dylan Garand, 24, made 19 saves and the New York Rangers defeated the Vancouver Canucks 6-2 on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden, the club's fifth victory. (ESPN, 2026-10-12)
- Rangers' Igor Shesterkin out for season with right knee injury — Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin will miss the rest of the season after suffering a right knee injury in Friday night's loss to the Capitals. (ESPN, 2026-10-11)
- NHL Tonight: What to watch in Flyers-Hurricanes, Canucks-Rangers, Kraken-Capitals — With just three games on the NHL calendar Sunday, here are game previews, betting lines, updated stat leaders and more. (ESPN, 2026-10-11)
- Igor Shesterkin helped off ice after fall in Rangers' loss — Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin, the 2022 Vezina Trophy winner as the league's top netminder, had to be helped off the ice after an awkward fall into his own net during a 3-1 loss to the Capitals. (ESPN, 2026-10-10)