Early look The full preview opens on Wednesday 7 April, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Toronto Maple Leafs at New York Rangers: game preview

Puck drop10 Apr · 7:00 PM ET
VenueMadison Square Garden
All-time meetings667 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

One points apart last season

Toronto finished last season 28th in the league on 78 points. NY Rangers finished 30th on 77.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 668

Across 667 completed games, Toronto lead the head-to-head 369-270-28.

All-time record369-270-28Toronto's record in the series
Meetings played667This is number 668
2025-26 series—
Last 54-1Toronto
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
25 Mar 2026NYR 3 – TOR 4——TOR
5 Mar 2026TOR 2 – NYR 6——NYR
16 Oct 2025NYR 1 – TOR 2 OT——TOR
20 Mar 2025TOR 4 – NYR 3——TOR
28 Feb 2025TOR 3 – NYR 2——TOR
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateTorontoNY Rangers
16 Oct 20253-2-0 · 6 pts12th2-3-1 · 5 pts18th
5 Mar 202624-19-9 · 57 pts18th22-25-6 · 50 pts28th
25 Mar 202631-29-13 · 75 pts21st28-35-9 · 65 pts31st

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 16 Oct 2025, Toronto were 12th in the league and NY Rangers 18th. By 25 Mar 2026 it was 21st and 31st.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

NY Rangers out-attempted Toronto 200 to 142

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Toronto Maple Leafs

142 att · 74 on goal · 8 G · 10.8%
Crease14 att · 2 G
Slot47 att · 2 G
Wing52 att · 4 G
Point27 att · 0 G
Neutral zone2 att · 0 G

New York Rangers

200 att · 96 on goal · 10 G · 10.4%
Crease17 att · 2 G
Slot85 att · 5 G
Wing73 att · 2 G
Point25 att · 1 G
Neutral zone0 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

NY Rangers have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

TorontoNY Rangers
3.40xG for per game3.44
3.21xG against per game2.77
51.4%xG share55.4%
−2.6FinishingGoals minus expected goals−1.2
+1.9GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+5.8

This season: 4 games for Toronto, 5 for NY Rangers. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Toronto

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2721.4%
Power play · 2025-2621.3% · 15th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2790.9%
Penalty kill · 2025-2681.2% · 8th
Faceoffs · 2026-2751.1% · 113/221
Drawn · 2026-2714 (3.50/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2711 (2.75/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

NY Rangers

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2721.4%
Power play · 2025-2624.7% · 5th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2787.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2679.9% · 15th
Faceoffs · 2026-2752.2% · 151/289
Drawn · 2026-2714 (2.80/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2716 (3.20/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
34Auston Matthews42351.25
91John Tavares41230.75
93Mika Zibanejad51451.00
94Gabe Perreault52240.80
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
44Morgan Rielly40330.75
43Darren Raddysh40110.25
23Adam Fox50551.00
5Sean Durzi51120.40
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 5 Apr: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 6 Apr: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Toronto crease

TOR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 7 Apr

Sergei Bobrovsky.8872 GP · 0-2-0 · GSAx +0.1
Anthony Stolarz.9042 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +0.6

No appearances against NY Rangers in the last meetings.

NY Rangers crease

NYR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 7 Apr

Igor Shesterkin.9264 GP · 3-1-0 · GSAx +4.6
Dylan Garand1.0001 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +1.4

No appearances against Toronto in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.1 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

25 Mar 20267 · NYR 3–4 TOR
5 Mar 20268 · TOR 2–6 NYR
16 Oct 20253 · NYR 1–2 TOR
20 Mar 20257 · TOR 4–3 NYR
28 Feb 20255 · TOR 3–2 NYR

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Toronto2.752.753.093.65
NY Rangers3.201.602.903.05

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.1Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings6.0Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

9 on the injury lists

Toronto · injuries

Cade WebberElbowIRReturn31 Oct
Dakota JoshuaAbdomenIRReturn24 Oct
Elvis MerzlikinsShoulderIRReturn30 Mar
Max DomiBackIRReturn21 Nov
William VilleneuveKneeIRReturn31 Oct

NY Rangers · injuries

Adam SykoraLower BodyIRReturn25 Jan
Aidan ThompsonUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct
Joe VelenoLower BodyIRReturn13 Oct
Joonas KorpisaloLower BodyIRReturn9 Oct
5 Oct · TOR

Placed RW Nikita Grebenkin on injured reserve.

30 Sep · TOR

Moved C Max Domi from the non-roster list to long-term injured reserve.

29 Sep · TOR

Placed D Cade Webber on the injured non-roster list.

6 Oct · NYR

Recalled C Gabriel Beaudoin from Hartford (AHL). Placed C Joe Veleno on injured reserve.

5 Oct · NYR

Placed D Matthew Robertson on waivers.

1 Oct · NYR

Placed G Joonas Korpisalo on injured reserve. Recalled G Dylan Garand from Hartford (AHL).

Injury report
#1Gavin McKennaRound 1 · Penn StateLW
#60Alexander BileckiRound 2 · KitchenerD
#69Ethan MacKenzieRound 3 · EdmontonD
#73Zach OlsenRound 3 · SaskatoonRW
Full draft
#5Alberts SmitsRound 1 · MunchenD
#64Benjamin MacBeathRound 2 · CalgaryD
#67Danai ShaiikovRound 3 · GatineauG
#77Charlie MorrisonRound 3 · QuebecD
Full draft

Updated after every final