Maple Leafs at Rangers
THE STORY: Three weeks after the curtain went up on the NHL's regular season, the New York Rangers finally get to celebrate their home opener. The Rangers make their Madison Square Garden debut Thursday as they entertain the Toronto Maple Leafs in an Original Six showdown. Renovations to the Broadway Blueshirts' hallowed home forced the club to travel nearly 20,000 miles over a three-week period, playing seven games in three countries across five different time zones. The result: a decent 3-2-2 mark heading into the opener of a six-game homestand that will keep the Rangers in New York until Nov. 9. They face a Toronto club ready to welcome injured players Tim Connolly, Tyler Bozak and James Reimer back into the lineup. Connolly makes his Maple Leafs debut after signing a two-year, $9.5 million free-agent deal in the offseason.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TSN (Toronto), MSG (New York).
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (5-2-1): Reimer is expected to get the start in goal after missing the previous game following a collision with Montreal's Brian Gionta over the weekend. The force of the hit knocked Reimer's helmet off, and left him with neck and head soreness. Connolly comes to Toronto from the Buffalo Sabres, where he dealt with a laundry list of injuries that limited him to just 98 games over a three-year period from 2006-2009. He'll center Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul on the top line.
ABOUT THE RANGERS (3-2-2): Center Brad Richards makes his long-awaited home debut with the Rangers following a somewhat successful trek. While he had just five points in seven games, the chemistry he seems to have developed with enigmatic winger Marian Gaborik (four goals) should result in more offense moving forward. Richards was targeted by the Maple Leafs, among other teams, but ultimately found himself most impressed by the Rangers' pitch.
OVERTIME:
1. Richards has 30 points in 30 career games against the Maple Leafs - the second-highest point-per-game rate of any opponent he has seen 30 or more times. Only the Winnipeg franchise (53 points in 47 games) has been more generous.
2. Toronto faceoff specialist Dave Steckel has goals in three consecutive games, the longest such streak of his career.
3. The Rangers won three of four meetings between the clubs last season, including a 7-0 drubbing in their previous encounter Jan. 19. Toronto has scored just once in the past three games vs. New York.