Rangers Vs. Maple Leafs Preview: A Must Win On The Line For The New York Rangers

The New York Rangers will have a big game on their hands tonight as they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs in the final game of the home and home series. The Rangers dropped their last game against the Maple Leafs by a score of 4-3, after they made a tremendous comeback in the third period. With a win tonight, the Rangers would find themselves in a three way tie for the sixth seed with the Ottawa Senators. These next few games will be crucial for the Rangers, as they need to start pulling away from the rest of the pack.

VS.

Toronto Maple Leafs (22-13-4) vs New York Rangers (19-16-4)
Madison Square Garden - New York, NY - 7:00 PM
Television: MSG, TSN, RDS2 | Radio: ESPN NY 98.7
Opponent's Blog: Pension Plan Puppets | Tickets: New York Rangers Tickets

Some Quick Thoughts:

• Henrik Lundqvist is expected to get the start again, and it is believed that James Reimer will start for the Maple Leafs once again. Lundqvist has had a lot of the load placed on his back lately, and you would have to figure Martin Biron would start at least one more game before the end of the season.
• Marc Staal skated for the third straight day today, and every day is getting better. Hopefully Staal is able to return to the lineup before the end of the season. The Rangers desperately miss him on the back end.

Projected Lineup:

Rick Nash - Brad Richards - Ryan Callahan
Mats Zuccarello - Derek Stepan - Ryane Clowe
Carl Hagelin - Derick Brassard - Brian Boyle
Arron Asham - Darroll Powe - Taylor Pyatt

Ryan McDonagh - Dan Girardi
Anton Stralman - Michael Del Zotto
Steve Eminger - John Moore

Henrik Lundqvist
Martin Biron

Scratches: Matt Gilroy (healthy), Marc Staal (eye), J.T. Miller (wrist), Roman Hamrlik (healthy)