New York @ Toronto preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 10, 2019 ) Toronto 1, NY Rangers 4

Auston Matthews didn't take too kindly to the Toronto Maple Leafs briefly losing their edge, as the 21-year-old etched his name alongside some of the heavyweights in the franchise record book with another sterling performance. Matthews looks to lead the Maple Leafs to consecutive wins on Saturday night when the club hosts the New York Rangers.

Matthews boosted his point total to eight (five goals, three assists) in the last six games and became the third-fastest player in franchise history to reach 200 NHL points on Wednesday when he scored and set up a goal in Toronto's 4-2 victory at Buffalo. "Yeah, I mean, it (stinks) losing. You never want to lose and, obviously, the little slump we've been in lately, it's frustrating for everybody," Matthews said after registering his 21st multi-point performance of the season. "You try to stay positive, but obviously it's getting towards the end of the season and you want to make sure your game is kind of peaking at this point individually and as a team." While the Maple Leafs prepare to right the ship heading into a likely first-round matchup with one Original Six rival, the Rangers are limping down the stretch on the heels of a five-game skid and losses in 11 of 12 overall (1-6-5). Ontario native Ryan Strome has five points (three goals, two assists) in his last six contests after converting on the power play in Tuesday's 3-2 setback versus Detroit.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, NHL Network, MSG (New York), CBC, Sportsnet1, Sportsnet Ontario (Toronto)

ABOUT THE RANGERS (28-32-13): Alexandar Georgiev will look to get his first win in a month on Saturday when he faces Toronto, against which he celebrated his 23rd birthday by making a career-high 55 saves in New York's 4-1 win on Feb. 10. Mika Zibanejad scored in that contest and leads the team in goals (28), assists (39) and points (67), although he has just four points in March. Chris Kreider, who has mustered just two assists for his lone points this month, will sit out Saturday's contest with a hamstring injury.

ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (44-25-5): John Tavares (team-leading 41 goals) matched Matthews with a goal and an assist against the Sabres, giving him 24 multi-point performances this season. The 28-year-old Ontario native set up a pair tallies by Andreas Johnsson in Toronto's 5-3 home win versus the Rangers on Dec. 22 to lift his point total to 40 (14 goals, 26 assists) in 45 career encounters with New York. As for Mitch Marner, the 21-year-old scored on Wednesday and has three of his club-best 61 assists and four of his team-leading 86 points in his last five games.

OVERTIME

1. Toronto RW William Nylander, whose father Michael played two seasons for the Rangers, has six assists in his last five games.

2. New York D Kevin Shattenkirk has set up a goal in back-to-back contests and has 12 of his 24 assists in his last 17 games.

3. Maple Leafs C Zach Hyman has collected 10 of his 18 goals this season in his last 24 games.

PREDICTION: Maple Leafs 5, Rangers 1