Game #61: New York Rangers vs Toronto Maple Leafs Open Thread

After a pair off days following Wednesday’s victory over Columbus, the Blueshirts are back in action for an Original Six battle north of the border. Scotiabank Arena in downtown Toronto is the site for tonight’s fight night between Matt Rempe and Ryan Reaves, with expectations of a hockey game being played some time after the heavyweight bout.

Toronto finds itself in familiar territory in these latter stages of the season. The Maple Leafs currently occupy the third seed in the Atlantic Division, taking their usual place in the always top-heavy division alongside Florida and Boston. In need of defensive depth, Toronto shelled out a pair of draft picks to bring Ilya Lyubushkin back to town for a second stint in blue and white as they have already started making their moves leading into next week’s trade deadline. With less than a week and only two more games to be played before the deadline, the Rangers will need to make their moves sooner rather than later. For now, New York’s focus is on the Leafs.

Player to Watch: Chris Kreider

As much as Matt Rempe has become a must watch player every time he hops over the boards for a shift, he can’t be the player to watch every night. It’ll be Kreider’s turn in the spotlight tonight as New York’s longest tenured player looks to help his team beat one of its oldest rivals. Keep an eye on Kreider tonight as the Rangers duke it out with another playoff-bound opponent.

Enjoy the game!