Game day: Maple Leafs at New York Rangers

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN PUCK DROP: 7 p.m. TV: Sportsnet RADIO: Sportsnet 590 The FAN

KEY PLAYERS

Sparks/Lundqvist If form holds, Garret Sparks is expected get the start in goal for the Leafs on the second leg of a back-to-back set. With Henrik Lundqvist looming a night after Toronto faced Montreal’s Carey Price, Toronto could theoretically take shots at the two highestpaid goaltenders in the NHL in a 24-hour span. (When Price’s current cap hit of $10.5 million (U.S.) kicked in this season, it usurped Lundqvist’s $8.5 million annual average value as the NHL high-water mark). In any case, advantage Leafs: Lundqvist, now age 36, has 32 career meetings against Toronto and sports an .897 save percentage, his worst mark against an Eastern Conference opponent.

NEED TO KNOW

Sparks has allowed two goals against in three of his past four starts … The struggles of the Toronto defensive pairing of Nikita Zaitsev and Jake Gardiner have been well documented. Leafs coach Mike Babcock acknowledged Saturday the possibility of a shakeup on the blue line, suggesting he could spread the wealth of Toronto’s top pairing, which currently consists of Morgan Rielly and Jake Muzzin. “I don’t know what I’ll do — maybe (move Muzzin to) a different pair. We’ll just see what happens.”

UP NEXT

Tuesday at Colorado, 9 p.m.