A pair of Original Six teams desperate to get back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season hook up in Toronto on Thursday night when the New York Rangers visit the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.
The Rangers (7-3-1) are off the fast start after finishing last in the Eastern Conference a year ago, and missing the playoffs two seasons in a row. They’re coming off a solid 5-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks at Madison Square Garden on Monday and sit in second place, just two points behind the Carolina Hurricanes, in the Metropolitan Division.
If there’s been one issue for New York so far this season, it’s an inability to win on the road, something the Rangers have done quite well in recent years. The Rangers are 1-3-1 in five road games so far, after winning at least 20 games away from MSG in each of the past five seasons.
Rangers tools
They lost lost three straight on the road (0-2-1) dating to Nov. 9 in Washington, the night Igor Shesterkin sustained his season-ending knee injury. Most recently, they dropped a 1-0 heartbreaker in overtime to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.
“We have to build the same exact game on the road because we’ve been struggling recently,” defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov said Wednesday about carrying their strong home-ice play on to the road. “But I think we can translate that, the last game was pretty good for us.”
The Rangers are 6-0-0 on home ice this season, but play two straight in Canada with a clash against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night following this one in Toronto.
John E. Sokolowski-Imagn ImagesCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Maple Leafs (5-4-2) seek a third consecutive win after a 3-1 home victory over the San Jose Sharks and 6-2 road win against the Blue Jackets earlier in the week. Like the Rangers, the Maple Leafs were an epic fail in 2025-26, finishing one point ahead of the Blueshirts in the overall standings and stunningly missing the postseason.
But Toronto was a big winner in the offseason. The Maple Leafs won the NHL Draft Lottery and selected coveted 18-year-old forward Gavin McKenna with the No. 1 overall pick. New general manager John Chayka set about overhauling the roster, including swinging a trade with the Blue Jackets right before the season opener to acquire — and then sign to a long-term contract — forward Kirill Marchenko.
One player who remains is captain Auston Matthews, and he’s having a solid bounce-back season so far. Matthews is tied for second in the NHL in goals (eight) and points (18) over 11 games. McKenna has six points (three goals, three assists), one off the lead among NHL rookies. Marchenko has 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 11 games.
“Their top unit is dangerous. They’re fast, they’re skilled, can shoot the puck. Now with the Marchenko trade, they got more dangerous. So, we’ve got to make them defend and play on our terms,” Gavrikov explained.
The Rangers won’t need to worry about longtime foe John Tavares. The 36-year-old center is week to week with a lower-body injury.
One thing these teams have in common is outstanding success on the penalty kill. They are the top two teams in the League on the PK — Toronto is first at 97.4 percent (one goal allowed on 38 times short-handed), New York is second at 94.1 percent (two goals on 34 opportunities). Neither PK has allowed a power-play goal on the road this season — the Rangers are a perfect 13-for-13 on that front.
Dylan Garand makes his sixth consecutive start in goal for the Rangers, and two-time Stanley Cup winner Sergei Bobrovsky starts for the Maple Leafs.
“I think it’s a tough test, Toronto obviously is a good team,” Rangers forward Will Cuylle said. “I think we need to play to our strengths, which are defending hard and not giving up much. They’re a high-caliber offensive team, so making sure we’re defending hard and the offensive chances should come from that.”
New York Rangers projected lineup
Gabe Perreault — Mika Zibanejad — Alexis Lafreniere
Tye Kartye — J.T. Miller — Pavel Dorofeyev
Will Cuylle — Noah Laba — Eeli Tolvanen
Oliver Bjorkstrand — Justin Dowling — Taylor Raddysh
Valdislav Gavrikov — Adam Fox
Marcus Pettersson — Sean Durzi
Alberts Smits — Braden Schneider
Dylan Garand
Spencer Martin
Rangers vs. Maple Leafs: When, where, what time, how to watch
Who: New York Rangers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
When: Thursday, October 22 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Scotiabank Arena
How to watch: MSG
Jim Cerny is Executive Editor at Forever Blueshirts and Managing Editor at Sportsnaut, with more than 30 years of … More about Jim Cerny
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