Maple Leafs Prepare For High-Scoring Rangers Squad, Lineups and Where To Watch
New York has averaged five goals per game since the regular season began.
The Toronto Maple Leafs don't want to become complacent before their Saturday night showdown against the New York Rangers.
Those were the words of Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube on Friday, following a practice that featured a lot of shouting. It was a similar tone during Wednesday's game against the LA Kings when Berube called a timeout after LA scored their second goal.
"We don't want to get complacent, right? That's the biggest thing. Staying sharp. You know, I stopped it a couple of times. Just execution for me, you know, being sharp and executing," Berube said on Friday.
"It sort of goes back to the last game and five nothing. You take your foot off the gas a little bit. That's where we got to get. We don't want to do that."
Toronto is headed into a tough matchup on Saturday against the Rangers, who haven't lost a game in regulation through their first four games of the regular season. The last time Toronto and New York played, on Mar. 2, Ryan Reaves and Matt Rempe went toe-to-toe.
After the game, Reaves called Rempe "a really nice kid" and said they spoke in the penalty box about how there was a lot of noise about this fight heading into the game.
"It was almost cool to see because it shows that fighting's not dead within the sport," Reaves said after Toronto's 4-3 shootout win. "People still kind of get amped up for it."
The Maple Leafs' lineup going into Saturday night appears similar to Wednesday's against the Kings. One change likely coming is Conor Timmins reentering the lineup for Timothy Liljegren.
"He's played well. Moving the puck and doing those things. He's capable of doing that. He's a good puck mover. He's a good playmaker. He can make plays. He sees the ice pretty well," Berube said on Friday of Timmins.
"And for me, it's all about the defensive side of things. He was killing penalties, which was good, and he did a good job. Making sure he's strong defensively, strong in the battles, winning those because that's important. Because that's what we need from him."
Max Pacioretty is projected to be a healthy scratch for the second straight game. He admitted on Tuesday that the transition to a new team hasn't been easy, especially coming off an injury like his.
The 35-year-old added that he wants his game to start trending in the right direction.
"I've mentioned before that it's going to be different, I guess, some different roles and whatnot and different ways to try and help the team win. And I'm excited about doing that," Pacioretty said on Tuesday.
Anthony Stolarz is projected to get the start for the Maple Leafs.
Where to Watch
Catch the game nationally on Sportsnet in Canada. In the United States, you can find the game on NHL Network, Fubo Sports US, and MSGSN in the New York region.
Puck drop is scheduled for shortly after 7:00 p.m. ET.
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