Original 6 Matchup - New York Rangers at Toronto Maple Leafs
by Dave D
Game Time:
Saturday, October 17 7PM - Air Canada Centre, Toronto
The Rangers are coming into this game as the NHL’s hottest team. They’ve won 6 straight, their latest a solid 4-2 victory over a talented Los Angeles Kings squad. Every facet of the Rangers is clicking. They’re getting great goaltending from Henrik Lunqvist. Marion Gaborik is healthy and playing to his unbelievable talent. Even there young defenseman, especially Matt Gilroy and Michael del Zotto, are playing better than expected this early in the season.
The Leafs come into the game as the NHL’s worst team. They are still looking for that elusive first win. The Leafs have only one point so far this season and sit dead last in the Eastern Conference. This was supposed to a be a tough team to play against, but a penchant for bad penalties coupled with the conference’s worst penalty killing unit is making Toronto an embarrassing team to witness.
What The Rangers Have To Do To Win:
The Rangers just have to keep doing what they’re doing. The Rangers are arguably the NHL’s best team for a reason. The Rangers won’t have to sweat so much against Toronto. The Rangers rank in the Top 10 in both the penalty kill and power play. They’re the only team in the league with two shorthanded goals so far this season. Sean Avery recently returned to the lineup, and when effective he is one of the Rangers most important players on the ice.
What sets the Rangers apart from most teams is their ability to turn it on the third period. Monday against the Leafs, New York was up 3-2 going into the third. Instead of coasting, the Rangers became even more aggressive and scored four goals in the final period. The Rangers have outscored opponents 11-3 in the third period so far this season.
What The Maple Leafs Have To Do To Win:
Bring back Mats Sundin? Honestly there isn’t much the Leafs can do to short of begging their former captain to return. The Leafs have no leadership on the ice and desperately needs some sort of guidance.
Defenseman Mike Komisarek was supposed to be a big offseason pickup to provide leadership and grit, but has done none of that so far. Instead he’s getting a reputation for taking awful penalties. On Tuesday against the Avs, Komisarek took one on Darcy Tucker two minutes after the Leafs scored, destroying any momentum they had. Tucker ended up scoring on that same power-play and the Avs never looked back.
Joey MacDonald will start with both Vesa Toskala and Jonas Gustavsson on the shelf. MacDonald looked shaky in his first start of the season, allowing four goals on 28 shots. They’ll need outstanding goaltending if they want their first win of the season.
Outlook & Pick
All signs point to both teams continuing their winning (or lack thereof) streaks. Toronto is a lost team and really needs to find any sort of identity if they want to climb out of the basement. New York looks like a powerhouse and real Stanley Cup contender so far this season. It doesn’t take a genius to predict that the Leafs will remain winless come Sunday morning.
Pick: New York Rangers
