NHL Game of the Week: Rangers vs. Maple Leafs

On Friday, two Eastern Conference favorites will square off as the New York Rangers travel to Scotiabank Arena to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Rangers enter this one with a record of 40-17-3 and on a hot streak, having won 11 out of their last 12 games.

Most recently, they beat the Columbus Blue Jackets by a score of 4-1 on Wednesday night.

Hart Trophy candidate Artemi Panarin has carried the load offensively as he leads the blue and white in goals (35), assists (47) and points (82).

Panarin is a player to watch in this one, as he will surely give the Leafs a ton of trouble in the defensive zone.

Mika Zibanejad is having another stellar campaign with 19 goals and 35 assists, while Vincent Trocheck has blossomed in his second year playing in the Big Apple, making the all-star game while having 20 goals, 35 assists and winning 60% of face-offs.

On defense, Adam Fox has continued to play an elite two-way game with 10 goals and 38 assists while being a plus-14. Look for him to make an impact, especially on the man advantage, where he often quarterbacks the unit and has 20 apples.

Between the pipes, perennial Vezina candidate Igor Shesterkin is having his worst season as a pro but still putting up solid numbers with a 2.70 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage.

Jonathan Quick has picked up the slack left by Shesterkin, having a resurgence in his first full season out of Los Angeles, backstopping his way to a 2.45 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage.

The Maple Leafs enter this one with a record of 34-17-8 and on a hot streak, having won eight out of their last nine games.

Most recently, they defeated the Arizona Coyotes by a score of 4-2 on Thursday night.

Auston Matthews is pacing the league in goals with an absurd 53 goals in 58 games while also having 25 apples.

Mitch Marner has done a stellar job setting up Matthews as he leads the team in assists with 50, while William Nylander leads the team in points with 82.

On defense, it has been the Morgan Reilly show, as he plays 24:06 minutes per night while putting up some solid offensive statistics with seven goals and 36 assists. Reilly has continued to excel on the powerplay, and his puck movement could cause the Rangers headaches.

Goaltending has been a by-committee approach for the Maple Leafs this season, but Ilya Samsonov has had the most appearances, putting up a 3.25 goals-against average and a .881 save percentage.

The Russia native will have to make some big saves if the Maple Leafs want to walk away with two points.

The puck is set to drop at 7 p.m..

Ben Palillo is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email bgp5079@psu.edu