New York Rangers vs Columbus Blue Jackets Final — October 17, 2026
NYRStarting goaliesCBJ
NYROffenseFull 2025-26 regular season (last season)CBJNYRDefenseCBJNYRTeamCBJNYR5-on-5CBJNYRSpecial teamsCBJNYRRecent formCBJNYRHome and roadseason to dateCBJInjuries & restkey injuries · rest and travel
NYRRest & travelCBJNYRKey injuriesCBJAbout these numbers
Goalie status from the G&W goalie tracker (Confirmed, Expected, Likely or Not confirmed); teams confirm starters close to puck drop. Season lines come from the NHL Lab goalie tables. GSAx = goals saved above expected (Gridiron & Wine expected goals). HD Sv% = save rate on high-danger shots.
Full 2025-26 regular season (last season), captured before kickoff. League rank in small type (32 teams); the gold side ranks higher. Bars show rank, longest = 1st. Source: Gridiron & Wine public Analytics tables.
2025-26 regular season, public NHL Lab tables; ranks out of 32 teams. Expected goals are Gridiron & Wine's own expected-goals numbers.
2025-26 regular season. Rates are per 60 minutes of power-play or penalty-kill time.
Regular-season results this season, oldest to newest (OTL = overtime or shootout loss). Records are season to date, with home and road splits. Over–under uses the consensus closing total.
Distance is straight-line from each team's home arena; time-zone change is at game time. Rest counts days since each team's previous game.
No key players listed.
Key players only. Injury report as of October 17, 6:40 p.m. ET.
The pre-game matchup
The Rangers (6-3-0) visited the Blue Jackets (2-3-0) on Saturday, October 17 at 7:10 PM ET.
Last season (2025-26), the Rangers scored 2.90 goals per game (23rd of 32) and allowed 3.05 (13th). The Blue Jackets scored 3.09 goals per game (16th of 32) and allowed 3.09 (16th). The Rangers earned 47.0% of available standings points (29th) and the Blue Jackets 56.1% (15th).
Expected-goals share (5-on-5), the share of 5-on-5 expected goals created: Rangers 48.4% (23rd), Blue Jackets 51.4% (10th). Shot-attempt share (5-on-5), the share of all 5-on-5 shot attempts: Rangers 48.9% (20th), Blue Jackets 50.8% (11th). High-danger chance share, the share of 5-on-5 high-danger chances: Rangers 49.0% (17th), Blue Jackets 50.3% (15th). These are last season's full-season numbers because the new season's sample is still small; rosters change over the offseason.
The total closed 6.5, unchanged from the open. After removing the vig, the closing moneyline (Rangers +112, Blue Jackets -135) prices the Rangers at 45% and the Blue Jackets at 55%.
Written from the numbers available before kickoff.
Result
Final score and result vs the closing line
New York Rangers 0, Columbus Blue Jackets 1
Columbus Blue Jackets won by 1.
- Against the closing spread (Columbus Blue Jackets -1.5): New York Rangers covered.
- Combined score 1 vs the closing total of 6.5: Under.
- Columbus Blue Jackets closed at -135 on the moneyline (a 55% no-vig market-implied chance).
Actual result
Columbus Blue Jackets 1
Before the game: market and G&W
From open to close the market moved 1 point toward New York Rangers.
Market numbers are the consensus moneyline with the bookmaker margin removed.
Win probability
Each team's chance of winning through the game, starting from the market's closing price (New York Rangers 45%, Columbus Blue Jackets 55%) and moving with every goal, penalty and the clock until the final.
Biggest swings
- 3rd 9:49 — Columbus Blue Jackets penaltyNew York Rangers 48% → 53% (+5 pts)
- OT 1:34 — Columbus Blue Jackets takeawayNew York Rangers 23% → 49% (+26 pts)
- OT 3:26 — Columbus Blue Jackets goal (0-1)Columbus Blue Jackets 50% → 100% (+50 pts)
Chance Quality Result
Based on the quality of chances each team created, New York Rangers won 58% of G&W replays (Columbus Blue Jackets 42%). The chances each team created were close to even.
The Chance Quality Result describes the chances each team created. It is not the official result and never changes it or any record. Expected goals count regulation chances with both goalies in net; empty-net goals are not included. Season xG tables count every game state, empty nets included, so their totals differ.
Game DNA
The Chance Quality Result above had the chances close to even. Here is where each side gained and lost.
| Rangers | Goals | Blue Jackets |
|---|---|---|
| 2.3 | 5-on-5 chancesexpected goals | 1.7 |
| 0.6 | Power-play chancesexpected goals | 0.6 |
| 0.0 | Other situations4-on-4, 3-on-3, short-handed | 0.0 |
| 2.9 | Chance Quality Result chancesthe three rows above, as in the result | 2.3 |
| 0.1 | Overtime and pulled-goalie chancesnot part of the Chance Quality Result | 0.8 |
| 0.7 | Second chancesrebounds and flurries, part of the above | 0.3 |
| -3.0 | Finishinggoals vs expected on own shots | -2.1 |
| +2.1 | Goaltendingsaves vs expected · Dylan Garand 28/29 · Jet Greaves 29/29 | +3.0 |
How the margin was built, from Columbus Blue Jackets's side:
The first three rows add up to the Chance Quality Result's expected goals. Overtime chances and chances with a goalie pulled are listed on their own, and empty-net goals are not in expected goals. A team's finishing and the other team's goaltending are the same goals seen from each end.
The official play, graded
The official play on this game, at the price it was sent, graded against the final score.
Every official play is logged and graded, wins and losses alike. Full track record.
Line review
Columbus Blue Jackets closed as the market favourite at 55% and won.
The line moved toward New York Rangers before puck drop, and they lost.
Market
Closing line and line movement
Rangers +1.5 (-219)
Rangers +1.5 (-225)
Blue Jackets -141 56%
Blue Jackets -135 55%
Consensus of US sportsbooks. Open = first line after both teams' previous games; Close = consensus at kickoff. Percentages are the moneyline's no-vig market-implied chances.
Members
G&W Line
G&W’s own number for this game, next to the market. Analytics
Matchup
Head-to-head
The teams have met 25 times since 2018-19: the Rangers won 14 and the Blue Jackets 11.
| Date | Score | Line | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 19, 2026 | Rangers 3, Blue Jackets 6 Blue Jackets won | Blue Jackets -220 favorite won | 6 over |
| Mar 2, 2026 | Blue Jackets 5, Rangers 4 OT Blue Jackets won | Blue Jackets -115 favorite won | 6 over |
| Nov 15, 2025 | Rangers 2, Blue Jackets 1 SO Rangers won | Rangers -120 favorite won | 6 under |
| Mar 15, 2025 | Rangers 4, Blue Jackets 0 Rangers won | Rangers -150 favorite won | 6 under |
| Mar 9, 2025 | Blue Jackets 7, Rangers 3 Blue Jackets won | Rangers -139 underdog won | 6.5 over |
Regular-season meetings since 2018-19, most recent first. Line = consensus closing moneyline favorite and total where line history is available.
Teams
New York Rangers
- New York Rangers team stats
- Los Angeles Kings 6, New York Rangers 3 (Oct 26)
- New York Rangers 4, Ottawa Senators 7 (Oct 24)
- New York Rangers 4, Toronto Maple Leafs 5 (Oct 22)
Columbus Blue Jackets
- Columbus Blue Jackets team stats
- Columbus Blue Jackets 4, Philadelphia Flyers 3 (Oct 27)
- Vegas Golden Knights 1, Columbus Blue Jackets 2 (Oct 24)
- Toronto Maple Leafs 6, Columbus Blue Jackets 2 (Oct 20)
Gridiron & Wine graded a pick on this game: see the archived pick.
More NHL games on October 17, 2026
- New Jersey Devils 2, Washington Capitals 4 (Oct 17)
- Carolina Hurricanes 3, Winnipeg Jets 2 (Oct 17)
- Vancouver Canucks 2, Tampa Bay Lightning 4 (Oct 17)
- Seattle Kraken 3, Florida Panthers 8 (Oct 17)
- Dallas Stars 4, Chicago Blackhawks 0 (Oct 17)
- San Jose Sharks 3, Detroit Red Wings 4 (Oct 17)
- Buffalo Sabres 3, Montréal Canadiens 4 (Oct 17)
- Ottawa Senators 1, Philadelphia Flyers 3 (Oct 17)
- New York Islanders 4, Toronto Maple Leafs 1 (Oct 17)
- St Louis Blues 2, Nashville Predators 5 (Oct 17)
- Boston Bruins 4, Los Angeles Kings 1 (Oct 17)
- Edmonton Oilers 6, Utah Mammoth 2 (Oct 17)
- Pittsburgh Penguins 2, Vegas Golden Knights 6 (Oct 17)
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