Entering a condensed 48-game regular season in 2013, the New York Rangers are projected to be a favorite to win the Stanley Cup.
The Boston Bruins are only one season removed from a championship run and have Stanley Cup aspirations of their own.
Both teams will look to take the first step towards that goal when they meet at Boston's TD Garden on Saturday night.
New York managed to bolster an already talented roster with the addition of forward Rick Nash via trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets this off-season. With Nash in the rotation, the Rangers hope to improve a power play unit that finished in the bottom third of the league last season.
Boston will look to avenge a poor showing against the Rangers last season, as the Bruins lost three of four meetings between the teams. The Bruins had a healthy portion of their roster playing overseas during the lockout, which could potentially be an advantage.
Goaltender Tuukka Rask will be taking over as the team's starting net minder as Tim Thomas opted to take the year off to spend time with his family.
Saturday's game will begin at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on NHL Network and MSG.