Maple Leafs at Rangers preview

MAPLE LEAFS (34-17-3) at RANGERS (23-23-8)
7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, TVAS, NHL.TV

Toronto has won four in a row and has points in six straight games (5-0-1) since Jan. 23.
The Maple Leafs, who defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 in overtime at Bell Centre on Saturday, have had three five-game winning streaks this season (Oct. 7-15, Nov. 24-Dec. 4, Dec. 18-28). Their season-long six-game point streak went from Nov. 24-Dec. 6.
The Rangers are playing the final game of a season-long five-game homestand. They are 1-2-1.

Players to watch

Maple Leafs forward William Nylander has scored goals in two of his past three games, including a game-tying goal in the third period against Montreal, after scoring one in his first 23 games.
Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello has 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in 10 games since Jan. 12.

They said it

"I think [Saturday] will be a real confidence builder for [Nylander]. It's nice to score in big moments and important moments and you feel good about yourself. It's good for Willy."-- Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock on Nylander
"Where we're at in the season, urgency should be at an all-time high. … I think we've played well during the homestand. It's frustrating to not be rewarded for that, but you've just got to keep moving forward and be dialed in about the Toronto Maple Leafs." -- Rangers coach David Quinn

Maple Leafs projected lineup

Patrick Marleau -- Auston Matthews -- Kasperi Kapanen
Zach Hyman -- John Tavares -- Mitch Marner
Connor Brown -- Nazem Kadri -- William Nylander
Par Lindholm -- Frederik Gauthier -- Andreas Johnsson
Jake Muzzin -- Morgan Rielly
Jake Gardiner -- Nikita Zaitsev
Travis Dermott -- Ron Hainsey
Garret Sparks
Frederik Andersen
Scratched: Igor Ozhiganov, Justin Holl, Tyler Ennis
Injured: None

Rangers projected lineup

Chris Kreider -- Mika Zibanejad -- Mats Zuccarello
Jimmy Vesey -- Kevin Hayes -- Pavel Buchnevich
Filip Chytil -- Ryan Strome -- Vladislav Namestnikov
Boo Nieves -- Jesper Fast
Marc Staal -- Tony DeAngelo
Brady Skjei -- Adam McQuaid
Brendan Smith -- Kevin Shattenkirk
Neal Pionk
Alexandar Georgiev
Henrik Lundqvist
Scratched: Vinni Lettieri
Injured: Brett Howden (MCL sprain), Fredrik Claesson (shoulder)

Status report

The Maple Leafs activated Ennis from injured reserve Sunday, but he will not play. He missed 18 games because of a broken ankle. ... The Rangers will use seven defensemen and 11 forwards for the second time in four games. They used that lineup in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Monday. Pionk will play after being scratched the past two games. Lettieri will be a healthy scratch after playing two in a row since being recalled from Hartford of the American Hockey League. … Georgiev will start for the second time in three games. He made 27 saves in a 4-3 shootout win against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday.

Stat pack

Zuccarello has 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists) in his past 12 games against Toronto. … Tavares has a goal and an assist in three straight games.