Rangers vs. Maple Leafs: The Final Countdown
The Rangers finally won a home game in regulation—but with the trade deadline looming and Sam Carrick already dealt, the bigger story is what happens next.
- On the last episode of SOAP: Burt Campbell was abducted by aliens, convincing others that he really could make himself invisible. Wait... wrong show. (This is a joke for the fellow olds out there.)
- On the last episode of Game Notes, I asked the timeless question: Y U No Tank Right? Well, that question still applies. Probably even more so now, because at least in that game against Columbus they had the decency to lose in overtime and not collect the full compliment of points available.
- I jest, at least somewhat. Look, it was certainly nice to see 1) the New York Rangers win a hockey game, 2) win a hockey game at home in regulation for the first time since November, and 3) win one of these Centennial Night games in those sharp alternate uniforms.
- But, to summarize the level of competition in this contest:
Rangers vs. Maple Leafs pic.twitter.com/GbZ3NFVw2C
— Blueshirt Banter (@BlueshirtBanter) March 6, 2026
- Incidentally, there are a lot of franchises out there that I'd swap places with right now. Toronto is not one of them. It's bad enough, of course, that this is a team without a Stanley Cup championship in the last 59 years—a streak that is highly likely to continue for at least a few more seasons. But, on top of that, the big pushback one might give to the notion of not wanting the Rangers to swap places with them is that they have one of the elite, premiere players in the National Hockey League in Auston Matthews. Yup, they do. But, for how long, since their fanbase seems intent on driving him out like they did with Mitch Marner? Yeah, it's bleak in New York right now. But it's really bleak in Toronto, too.
- Right prior to the game starting we learned that the Rangers were going to sit Vincent Trocheck (finally) and Sam Carrick for "roster management" reasons. We're still waiting to see what happens with Trocheck, but the trade sending Carrick to the Buffalo Sabres was announced not long after the conclusion of this game.
