The Rangers kick off the first of back-to-back games tonight against the Maple Leafs, New York steps up in class facing a Toronto team second in the division and the conference. The Blueshirts will face the Flyers at home tomorrow.
The lineup tonight is basically the same as the win versus Anaheim with two modifications. Fredrik Claesson is in for Tony DeAngelo and Alexandar Georgiev will be between the pipes. Interesting that ADA is out after the win. I don't have an issue with Claesson being in, as he didn't warrant being the odd man out, but surprised ADA is the one benched. Georgie was going to play tonight or tomorrow, thought he might go versus the Flyers. But David Quinn may figure that the team might play better in front of Georgiev than Lundqvist tonight against Toronto.
Lines: Chytil-Zibanejad-Zuccarello Kreider-Hayes-Buchnevich Vesey-Howden-Namestnikov Andersson-Nieves-Strome
Skjei-McQuaid Staal-Pionk Smith-Claesson
One major key tonight, as it usually is, but especially against a skilled Toronto team, will be special teams. Colin Stephenson in Newsday noted the power play and penalty kill numbers, each of which need remediation. If focusing on one, look at the PK, which has struggled and is now without Jesper Fast.
The Rangers’ power play ranked 16th overall — the absolute middle of the 31-team league — in power-play efficiency with 20 goals on 101 chances for a success rate of 19.8 percent. They are better on the road, where they are ranked 10th with a success rate of 22.5 percent (9-for-40).But things aren’t so good on the penalty kill. The Rangers are 25th overall when down a man, allowing 25 goals in 108 times shorthanded (76.8 percent). On the road, they are dead last, allowing goals one-third of the time when they are a man down (16 in 48 times shorthanded). They are better at home, where they are eighth in the league at 85 percent (nine goals in 60 chances).
“I think we fight with when to be aggressive and when not,’’ he said. “The indecisiveness, I think, hurts us on the penalty kill. So we’ve got to balance that. I think when you struggle a little bit, you become less aggressive. You penalty kill with caution, and the slightest hesitation on the penalty kill puts you at a real disadvantage, especially against high-end skill and high-end power plays.’’
Toronto, with Tavares, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and Co., has one of those. The Maple Leafs’ power play is seventh in the league (24-for-97 for 24.7 percent) and third at home (12-for-40, 30 percent).
The road penalty kill is a road kill. Add in a Toronto PP that at home is deadly and you have a recipe for disaster. This is an area to watch tonight.