NHL Preview: New York Rangers @ Toronto Maple Leafs
The New York Rangers take on the surprising Toronto Maple Leafs in a battle of NHL Original Six teams Thursday at the Air Canada Centre.
The Rangers have stumbled out of the gate at 1-2-1 while the Maple Leafs won their first four games before dropping their first of the season Monday.
One reason for New York’s sluggish start is a rash of injuries to key players in the team’s first few games. Leading scorer Marian Gaborik is expected to miss at least three weeks with a shoulder injury, forward Chris Drury is out indefinitely with a finger injury, and forward Vaclav Prospal also is out indefinitely with a knee injury.
The Rangers are 5-1-0-4 in the past 10 head-to-head, including going 3-3 in four meetings last seasons. But the Maple Leafs won the one meeting so far this season, beating the Rangers 4-3 last Friday.
New York dropped its third-straight game Monday in a 3-1 setback against the Colorado Avalanche. The Rangers had been -125 home favorites.
Toronto lost 2-1 to the visiting New York Islanders on Monday, as -180 home favorites in NHL betting.