Encore Performance For The New York Rangers At The Garden

Coming off their shootout victory in Ottawa, the New York Rangers are back in action tonight, as they host the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second time this season.

Read More About Last Night’s Win: ‘Oh, Danny Boy’- New York Rangers Win In Shootout Over Senators

The two teams previously met on October 30th, with the Rangers taking the opening game of the season series by a score of 3-1.

New York remains one of the hottest teams in the NHL, going 9-0-1 in their last 10 games, including a eight-game winning streak that began on October 25th versus the Calgary Flames.

New York Rangers

They are now tied with the Montreal Canadiens and Dallas Stars for the most points in the NHL with 28. In addition, they are tied with Montreal as the top team in the Eastern Conference with one game in hand.

They are helped by a defense that is first in the league, allowing the lowest goals against average with 1.65 and yielding 28 goals so this season.

It certainly another year of optimism, but even more now that new and old faces are emerging for the team.

The end all, be all of the team has to be Henrik Lundqvist.

So far this season, he has been playing lights out, avoiding the slow start fans have been accustomed to seeing in season’s past.

He is 10-2-2 with a goals against average of 1.69 and save percentage of .947. The important thing is that he is looking rested and in control of his game, for the most part. That should bode well for the him to make another deep playoff run and ultimately realizing the dream of hoisting the grand prize at the end of the season.

However, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.

Tonight, expect backup Antti Raanta to get the nod in net. It’s the second game of a back-to-back, and he has been playing well enough to warrant the King a rest every now and then. Acquired in the offseason, Raanta is doing his best Cam Talbot impression, earning a shutout in his first three wins as a Ranger.

For his career, Raanta is 1-1 against Toronto with a save percentage of .911.

Players to watch tonight are Mats Zuccarello and Chris Kreider.

Zuccarello has four points his past five games, including a three-point performance against the St. Louis Blues. In the Rangers last meeting with the Maple Leafs, he accounted for all the team’s goals, earning his first NHL-career hat-trick on four shots.

Kreider has been emerging as a menace to opponents, but he might be finally making the leap as a NHL player, and not just the resident bad guy.

He has four points in his past five games, that includes a two-game point streak with a goal last night against the Ottawa Senators. In his career versus the Maple Leafs, Kreider has two goals and three assists in seven games played.

Next: Should The New York Rangers Be Worried About Their Plummeting Analytics?

But what is make positive impressions on his teammates was his willingness to sand up for his teammates that have been wronged. Last night was a perfect example of that attitude.

Read More: Kreider Penalized for Standing Up for Stepan

He’s been seen outmuscling his opponents in the past, but add in his desire to battle for loose pucks, disrupt the other team, and presence around the net, Kreider is becoming the complete player fans have wanted him to be.

New York is looking for their ninth consecutive win in this Original Six matchup.