In the second game of the 2025-26 NHL regular season’s opening-night slate, the New York Rangers host the Pittsburgh Penguins for a matchup with an interesting revenge angle to it. Mike Sullivan coaches against the franchise he spent nearly a decade with as he takes the home team’s bench behind the glass. The Rangers hope for a bounce-back season with a new skipper and some added talent. The Penguins are in a transition between eras as Sidney Crosby holds things down with the young talent in town with a rebuild looming.
Here’s a Rangers vs. Penguins prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook to start the season.
Rangers vs. Penguins prediction, preview
New York won the 2023-24 Presidents’ Trophy but missed out on the playoffs last season in an underwhelming campaign. The franchise underwent a serious overhaul to personnel to make up for it this offseason. Sullivan comes to town with a pair of Stanley Cups to his name in hopes of turning things back around. He’s a massive addition who can re-energize this franchise with a tenacious forecheck, and while there are some questions about the leash he affords to younger players, there’s reason to believe the Rangers can compete for a postseason berth under his guidance.
The team added Vladislav Gavrikov, a strong No. 2 defenseman to play alongside Adam Fox. Add him to a core that includes Artemi Panarin, a healthy J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad and there’s talent here to compete on a nightly basis. Plus, Igor Shesterkin is a Vezina candidate for a reason and will keep his team in games even when the offense doesn’t click. The Rangers also acquired a couple of future draft picks as well as a young forward with upside in Carey Terrance via multiple other trades, so they’re continuing to build for the long-term outlook while still remaining in the running for a postseason berth in the Metropolitan Division.
On the opposite side, the Penguins feel significantly less exciting as the franchise prepares for the future while simultaneously holding onto the past. Sidney Crosby, Evgani Malkin and Kris Letang are still hanging around for what feels like their millionth seasons. The trade rumors surround both, particularly the former, but they remain in Pittsburgh for the time being. New head coach Dan Muse steps up for his first stint at the helm of an NHL team with hopes of leading the team to its first playoff appearance in three years, but it won’t be easy. There’s veteran talent around with the stars as well as Brian Rust, Erik Karlsson and more. There’s also plenty of young players like Rutger McGroarty, though his injury timeline remains uncertain.
The real problem here is the goaltending. Tristan Jarry may start on Tuesday and hopes to recapture form after one of the worst campaigns of his career. Arturs Silovs has minimal experience at the professional level and can’t exactly be depended on. Game one won’t determine the outlook of the entire season, but the sell-off for this team feels imminent if Pittsburgh begins the season in slow fashion.
Rangers vs. Penguins pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Rangers as -225 favorites to win on the Moneyline in the season opener. The Penguins hold +185 odds of an upset with a game total of 5.5.
Sullivan is intimately familiar with this Pittsburgh roster and knows every tendency of most of its players. If anyone can coach a defense to stop them, he’s the leading candidate and will certainly key Shesterkin in on exactly how to counter Crosby and the rest of the Penguins’ shooters. New York already sees the advantage in net thanks to the superstar to begin with anyways though.
While the Penguins do have plenty of veteran talent to keep things competitive, they’re on the road here and I see them starting the year sluggishly. The team’s coaching is a complete question mark and the other side sees an experienced former champion at the helm as well as better health than last time we saw them. The Rangers should emerge and play some gritty hockey from the jump here, and missing McGroarty does hurt Pittsburgh as well. Watch for New York to come out on top in regulation to begin the Sullivan era on the right foot.
