​Fresh off an unexpected playoff berth, the Bruins will begin their 2026-27 season on national television.Boston will take on the New York Rangers at TD Garden on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Puck drop is at 8 p.m. and the Original Six contest will be broadcast on ESPN.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Bruins will then travel to Winnipeg (Oct. 2) and Minnesota (Oct. 3), serving as the opponent in each team’s home opener. The rest of the NHL schedule will be released on Thursday, July 16.Boston will be without one of its leaders for all three of those games, as Charlie McAvoy is serving a six-game suspension stemming from last spring’s postseason.BETTING: Charlie McAvoy is listed at +2500 to win the Norris Trophy next season on DraftKings. Our complete DraftKings Sportsbook review provides a useful guide on how to sign up and use their app.McAvoy took a two-handed whack at Sabres forward Zach Benson in the waning minutes of Boston’s Game 6 loss in the opening round of the playoffs.Trailing Buffalo 4-1 with 1:31 remaining in Boston’s season, Benson slew-footed McAvoy into the end boards as the defenseman won a race for icing. Irate at the play, McAvoy chased Benson down and took a baseball swing at the Sabre, slashing him with both hands.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“I was caught up in the end of the season and losing,” McAvoy said.After an in-person hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety, the league deemed McAvoy’s actions worthy of a six-game ban.Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here.