Rangers at Maple Leafs
THE STORY: The New York Rangers try to maintain their hold atop the Eastern Conference when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. The Maple Leafs have taken two of three versus the Rangers, who posted a 3-0 win on Jan. 14. New York has already clinched a playoff berth while Toronto is 12th in the conference - eight points out of a playoff spot.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG 2 (New York), CBC (Toronto)
ABOUT THE RANGERS (46-21-7): The Rangers hold a slim one-point lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins in both the Atlantic Division and the conference. The Penguins have a game in hand on New York and square off against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. New York is playing the second game of a back-to-back after falling 4-1 to the Buffalo Sabres on Friday. Forward Mats Zuccarello is out indefinitely after fracturing his left wrist during the first period of the contest. Saturday marks the beginning of a three-game road trip for the Rangers. New York travels to Minnesota on Tuesday and finishes in Winnipeg on Wednesday.
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (33-34-8): The Maple Leafs posted a 4-3 shootout win over the New Jersey Devils and are also playing the second game of a back-to-back. Saturday marks the start of a four-game homestand for Toronto, which will welcome Carolina, Philadelphia and Buffalo to the Air Canada Center next week. The Maple Leafs have been awful at home, dropping eight straight contests. Forward Clarke MacArthur is dealing with an upper-body injury and didn’t play Friday against the Devils. He is questionable versus the Rangers.
OVERTIME:
1. The Rangers have won eight of their last nine Saturday games.
2. Maple Leafs forward Ryan Hamilton assisted on the team's second goal Friday versus the Devils to record his first NHL point in his first NHL game.
3. The Rangers have lost 213 total man-games to injuries or illness this season.