Our New York Rangers vs Columbus Blue Jackets preview covers the odds, puck line, total, start time, TV channel and where to watch on Saturday, October 17, 2026. The New York Rangers (6-3-0 this season; 34-39-9 in 2025-26) visit the Columbus Blue Jackets (2-3-0 this season; 40-30-12 in 2025-26) at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Puck drop is 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local). TV: CBJNHL / CBJHN / MSG.
Storyline: The Rangers enter Saturday at 6-3-0 after a 7-1 loss at New Jersey (Oct. 15). Columbus enters Saturday at 2-3-0 after a 7-3 loss to Florida (Oct. 13). Columbus won two of three meetings last season (NHL.com). DraftKings lists Columbus at -135 and the Rangers at +114 on the moneyline, with the total at 6.5.
New York Rangers vs Columbus Blue Jackets Odds, Puck Line & Game Info
| Matchup | New York Rangers @ Columbus Blue Jackets |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 Records | New York Rangers 6-3-0 | Columbus Blue Jackets 2-3-0 |
| 2025-26 Records | New York Rangers 34-39-9 | Columbus Blue Jackets 40-30-12 |
| Head Coaches | NYR: Mike Sullivan (2nd season) | CBJ: Rick Bowness (took over Jan. 12, 2026) |
| Puck Line | NYR +1.5 (-225) | CBJ -1.5 (+185) |
| Moneyline | New York Rangers: +114 | Columbus Blue Jackets: -135 |
| Total | O/U 6.5 (o+105 / u-125) |
| Venue | Nationwide Arena (Columbus, Ohio) |
| Date / Time | Saturday, October 17, 2026 — 7:00 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | CBJNHL / CBJHN / MSG |
| Probable Starting Goalies | NYR: Dylan Garand (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) | CBJ: Jet Greaves (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN) as of Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, ~6:24 PM ET. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. ESPN lists Dylan Garand (Rangers) and Jet Greaves (Columbus) as probable starters, not yet confirmed at research time.
New York Rangers Preview: Lafrenière Leads a 6-3-0 Start
2025-26 recap: The Rangers went 34-39-9 (77 points), finished last in the Metropolitan Division and missed the playoffs. Mika Zibanejad led the team with 78 points (34 goals, 44 assists, 16 power-play goals), Alexis Lafrenière had 57 points, and Artemi Panarin had 57 points in 52 games before he was moved to Los Angeles during the season. Adam Fox had 53 points in 55 games (NHL.com).
Offseason moves: The Rangers added forward Pavel Dorofeyev, who scored 37 goals (20 on the power play) for Vegas, forwards Eeli Tolvanen (Seattle), Oliver Bjorkstrand (Tampa Bay) and Joseph Veleno, defensemen Sean Durzi (Utah) and Marcus Pettersson (Vancouver), goalie Joonas Korpisalo (Boston) and defenseman Alberts Smits, the No. 5 selection in the 2026 draft. Vincent Trocheck now plays for Utah (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Zibanejad, J.T. Miller, Lafrenière, Dorofeyev, Will Cuylle, Gabe Perreault, Tolvanen and Bjorkstrand lead the forwards. Fox, Vladislav Gavrikov, Durzi, Pettersson, Braden Schneider and Smits are on defense. Mike Sullivan is in his second season as coach.
Goalies: Igor Shesterkin has started five games and is 3-1-0 with a .927 save percentage (101 saves on 109 shots). Most recently, he made 13 saves on 14 shots in a 3-1 loss at Washington (Oct. 9). Dylan Garand has started four games and is 3-2-0 with a .915 save percentage (86 saves on 94 shots, including relief). Most recently, he made 9 saves on 13 shots in a 7-1 loss at New Jersey (Oct. 15). Spencer Martin has appeared in relief (15 saves on 18 shots). ESPN lists Dylan Garand as the probable starter for Saturday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: The Rangers are 6-3-0 through nine games, with 28 goals scored and 21 allowed. Results: a 3-0 loss at Boston (Sept. 29), a 5-1 win over Tampa Bay (Oct. 1), a 2-0 win at Detroit (Oct. 2), a 4-2 win over Utah (Oct. 4), a 5-2 win over the Islanders (Oct. 6), a 3-1 loss at Washington (Oct. 9), a 6-2 win over Vancouver (Oct. 11), a 4-1 win over Tampa Bay (Oct. 13) and a 7-1 loss at New Jersey (Oct. 15). Alexis Lafrenière has 11 points (seven goals, four assists), and Adam Fox has nine assists (NHL.com).
Injuries: Igor Shesterkin (knee surgery), Joe Veleno (lower body), Joonas Korpisalo (lower body) and Adam Sykora (lower body) are on injured reserve; Aidan Thompson (undisclosed) is on the injured non-roster list (ESPN).
Columbus Blue Jackets Preview: Sillinger Leads a 2-3-0 Start
2025-26 recap: Columbus went 40-30-12 (92 points), finished fifth in the Metropolitan and missed the playoffs after losing nine of its last 11 games. The Blue Jackets went 19-4-4 in their first 27 games after Rick Bowness took over on Jan. 12 (NHL.com). Zach Werenski led the team with 81 points (22 goals, 59 assists).
Offseason moves: Former captain Boone Jenner signed with Washington. Columbus acquired forward Valeri Nichushkin from Colorado, signed Ryan Lomberg, and signed Adam Fantilli to a six-year, $82.5 million contract on Sept. 24. On Sept. 28, the Blue Jackets traded Kirill Marchenko (team-high 27 goals) and others to Toronto for Matthew Knies, defenseman Emil Andrae and more. Goalie Cam Talbot and defenseman Carson Soucy signed one-year deals (NHL.com, BlueJackets.com).
Key players & coach: Werenski, Fantilli, Charlie Coyle, Knies, Nichushkin, Sean Monahan, Kent Johnson and Denton Mateychuk are central to the lineup, with Ivan Provorov and Soucy also on defense.
Goalies: Jet Greaves has started three games and is 1-2-0 with an .874 save percentage (76 saves on 87 shots, including relief). Most recently, he made 22 saves on 26 shots in a 5-3 loss at St. Louis (Oct. 10). Cam Talbot has started two games and is 1-1-0 with an .822 save percentage (37 saves on 45 shots). Most recently, he made 17 saves on 23 shots in a 7-3 loss to Florida (Oct. 13). ESPN lists Jet Greaves as the probable starter for Saturday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: Columbus is 2-3-0 through five games, with 16 goals scored and 21 allowed. Results: a 6-3 win over Buffalo (Oct. 1), a 4-1 loss to Utah (Oct. 3), a 3-2 shootout win over Pittsburgh (Oct. 9), a 5-3 loss at St. Louis (Oct. 10) and a 7-3 loss to Florida (Oct. 13). Cole Sillinger has five points (three goals, two assists), and Charlie Coyle has five assists (NHL.com).
Injuries: ESPN’s injury report listed no players for this team at research time.
Key Matchup Notes: Rangers vs Blue Jackets
- Schedule spot: The Rangers last played on Oct. 15 and host Anaheim on Oct. 19. Columbus last played on Oct. 13 and visits Minnesota on Oct. 18, so Saturday is the first night of a back-to-back for the Blue Jackets. Neither team played on Friday, Oct. 16, so neither is on the second night of a back-to-back (NHL.com).
- Last season: Columbus won two of three meetings last season. The Rangers won 2-1 in a shootout in Columbus on Nov. 15, 2025. Columbus won 5-4 in overtime on the road on March 2, 2026 and 6-3 at home on March 19 (NHL.com).
- Special teams: The Rangers are converting 22.2 percent of their power plays and have killed 92.9 percent of penalties. Columbus is converting 16.7 percent of its power plays and has killed 61.1 percent of penalties (NHL.com).
- Scoring: The Rangers have scored 28 goals and allowed 21 in 9 games. Columbus has scored 16 goals and allowed 21 in 5 games.
- Odds snapshot: Columbus -135 / the Rangers +114 on the moneyline, Blue Jackets -1.5 (+185) on the puck line, total 6.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch New York Rangers vs Columbus Blue Jackets
Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026
Puck drop: 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local)
Venue: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
TV: In the U.S., CBJNHL and CBJHN carry it in the Blue Jackets’ market and MSG carries it in the Rangers’ market (NHL.com). ESPN also lists ESPN+ streaming. No U.S. national TV broadcast is listed at research time.
Check the puck line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 17, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.