BOSTON — September 29, 2026: The Boston Bruins scored three times in the final four minutes to defeat the New York Rangers 3–0 in the teams’ 2026–27 season opener at TD Garden.
Fraser Minten scored the go-ahead goal at 16:14 of the third period after the teams played more than 56 scoreless minutes. JJ Peterka followed 52 seconds later, and Mark Kastelic added an empty-net goal at 17:29. Jeremy Swayman stopped all 24 Rangers shots for the shutout.
A tight game changed in 75 seconds
The final margin masks how long the game remained even. Neither side scored in the first two periods, and the opener was still tied deep into the third. Boston’s three-goal burst came in a span of 75 seconds, turning a goaltending contest into a comfortable-looking final score.
For the Rangers, the loss marked a second consecutive opening-night shutout. For Boston, it extended the club’s run of home-opening wins to 11, tying an NHL record, according to reporting after the game.
Why the sequence mattered
Minten’s goal was the decisive play because it forced New York to chase the game immediately. Peterka’s quick follow-up removed much of the Rangers’ chance to answer, and Kastelic’s empty-netter completed the scoring. Swayman’s shutout ensured Boston did not need any additional offense before the late surge.
This was one of several low-scoring opening-night games. In Raleigh, Florida and Carolina also went scoreless through regulation before the Panthers won in overtime; AskNovus has a separate report on that result.
Featured image is an illustrative hockey-arena photograph and does not depict this game.
Sources and image credit
- NHL game center, September 29, 2026
- New York Post game report, September 29, 2026
- Photo by Anders Krøgh Jørgensen on Unsplash