Open Game Thread: Rangers vs Maple Leafs
After opening the season with an uninspiring loss against the Colorado Avalanche, the Rangers will look to get back on track at the Air Canada Centre as they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. After running the Winnipeg Jets out of their own building with a 7-2 road victory on opening night, the Leafs will have take to the ice for their home opener in front of an always raucous crowd at the ACC.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM, but taking into account the fact that it's Toronto's home opener, as well as the fact that it's a game in Canada, you can probably tune in at around 7:30 and not miss anything important.The Rangers lines are as follows:
Chris Kreider-Mika Zibanejad-Pavel Buchnevich
Rick Nash-Filip Chytil-Mats Zuccarello
Michael Grabner-Kevin Hayes-J.T. Miller
Jimmy Vesey-David Desharnais-Paul Carey
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Ryan McDonagh-Kevin Shattenkirk
Marc Staal-Tony DeAngelo
Brady Skjei-Brendan Smith
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Henrik Lundqvist
Meanwhile, Mike Babcock will be sticking with what was mostly the same lineup that led to his team's opening night victory, and those units are as follows:
Zach Hyman-Auston Matthews-William Nylander
James Van Riemsdyk-Tyler Bozak-Mitch Marner
Patrick Marleau-Nazem Kadri-Leo Komarov
Matt Martin-Dominic Moore-Connor Brown
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Morgan Reilly-Ron Hainsey
Jake Gardiner-Nikita Zaitsev
Calle Rosen-Connor Carrick
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Frederik Andersen
Player To Watch: After flashing in the pre-season but being as quiet as a mouse on Thursday night, look for Filip Chytil to make his presence known when he hops over the boards. Having turned 18 years old exactly one before making his NHL debut, the lights may have been a little too bright for him to make an instant impact in front of the onlookers at Madison Square Garden. In his first road game, the pressure will be off, so keep an eye on Chytil (or Corsica's live game chart if that's more your style) tonight.
Enjoy the game! Or don't, I can't tell you what to do.