Thursday night features the New York Rangers taking on the Toronto Maple Leafs and their team leader, Mitch Marner. After the Rangers' latest humiliating display in their 2-1 loss to Calgary, here's why the Blueshirts absolutely need to shut Marner down on March 20th at Madison Square Garden.
Mitch Marner
Marner's name is in headlines everywhere Tuesday because he approaches unrestricted free agency. The Canadian right wing has reports of being an ideal target for the Montreal Canadiens or the Boston Bruins.
However, the Rangers' main focus on Marner for now is that he will be on the ice with the Maple Leafs at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.
Marner currently leads Toronto in points with 83 points across 21 goals and 62 assists. His 83 points have him tied for No. 6 with Boston's David Pastrnak for the league's current leading skaters.
Marner was selected by Toronto with the No. 4 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, and then made the NHL All-Rookie team in 2016-17 after finishing with 61 points (19 goals, 42 assists) in 77 games and helping the Maple Leafs qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2013.
And now for even more of his strengths; there are many extremely obvious positives to Marner’s game. He is one of the most recognizable skaters with dynamic agility, Marner pairs equally smooth and deft hands. Marner can headman transition, weaving through pressure to gain the offensive zone. The Ontario, Canada native has fantastic vision, able to pull off highlight reel assists from brazen cross-seam spin-o-ramas to cheeky area plays oozing with anticipation.
As a result of Tuesday's loss for the Rangers and the Montreal Canadiens 6-3 win over the Senators on the same night, Montreal has currently overtaken the Rangers for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. If the Blueshirts want to get back in serious contention for the playoffs, defeating Marner and thus the Maple Leafs is a must.
How to Tune In
Taking on Toronto. pic.twitter.com/U63n01NMYe
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) March 20, 2025
Puck drop is slated for 7:00 p.m. EST at Madison Square Garden for the Original Six contest between the Maple Leafs and the New York Rangers. The matchup will be available for livestreaming via ESPN+ and be sure to tune into Blue Line Stations's Twitter for live updates.