These two historic franchises are going through a difficult spell and have sunk to the bottom of the Eastern Conference. The New York Rangers have also been weak on home ice – do they have enough to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs?
New York Rangers
Recent games for the Rangers have been almost all losses. In 2026 they have been very poor: only four wins in 18 games, and two of those came in overtime. It is understandable why Artemi Panarin decided to leave. It is also a demanding situation for Igor Shesterkin, who continues to prevent the team from conceding even more; he ranks eighth in the NHL in goals prevented (+14.4). Over their last 10 games at Madison Square Garden they have managed only two wins, and both of those came after regulation time.
Toronto Maple Leafs
This already provides a reason to look at the Double Chance on the Maple Leafs. Are they in a position to justify it? Overall, Craig Berube’s side have not been particularly convincing either: they are 13th in the conference and eight points adrift of the play-off places, and they are on a five-game winless run. In their last two games they had chances to win, but in the shootout series their opponents, the Philadelphia Flyers and the New Jersey Devils, were more clinical. Away from home, the Maple Leafs have a negative record (11–14–4), but their situation is not as poor as that of the Rangers: they have won four of their last 10 road games and have taken six of those to overtime.
New York Rangers vs Toronto Maple Leafs Prediction
In this meeting of two weakened giants, the Maple Leafs still have more resources than the Rangers. Moreover, in New York’s previous game against the Columbus Blue Jackets (4:5 OT), their third-leading scorer J.T. Miller (38 points) suffered an upper-body injury and will miss at least a week. The Maple Leafs should add at least one more point to their tally here.
