Rangers vs. Maple Leafs: Lineups, storylines in Adam Sykora NHL debut
A pair of disappointing Original Six teams meet up at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday, when the New York Rangers visit the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Rangers (28-34-9) are last in the Eastern Conference and own the second-worst record in the NHL. They’ve dropped five in a row (0-4-1), and come off a 2-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Monday, when they managed 10 shots on goal, an embarrassingly low output.
Things aren’t much better for the Maple Leafs (30-29-13), who are about to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 10 years. They are tied for the second-fewest points in the East, and sit 23rd overall in the League standings, after surpassing 100 points each of the previous four seasons.
Toronto skated past the Boston Bruins on Tuesday for a 4-2 road victory. Matthew Knies scored twice, a short-handed goal early and an empty-net tally for his 20th of the season. The Maple Leafs haven’t won consecutive games since taking three in a row Jan. 31- Feb. 3. They are 3-8-4 in 15 games since, sliding right out of the playoff hunt.
The Maple Leafs are without captain Auston Matthews, who sustained a season-ending knee injury on a Radko Gudas hit last week. He finished 2025-26 with 27 goals and 53 points in 60 games, though he did help lead the United States to a gold medal run at the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February.
In the season series, the Rangers are 1-0-1, losing 2-1 in overtime in Toronto on Oct. 16 and smoking the Maple Leafs 6-2 at Madison Square Garden on March 5, the day before the NHL Trade Deadline.
3 storylines when Rangers visit Maple Leafs
1. Adam Sykora to make NHL debut
Adam Sykora makes his NHL debut for the Rangers, and is expected to play on a line with Vincent Trocheck and Will Cuylle. That’s a soft landing spot indeed for the 21-year-old, who’s projected as more of a bottom-six forward than middle-six one at the NHL level.
The Rangers recalled Sykora from Hartford of the American Hockey League on Tuesday, and plan to move veteran Taylor Raddysh out of the top-nine down to the fourth line against the Maple Leafs. Sykora is third on Hartford with a career-high 12 goals in this, his third, pro season. The two-way forward was New York’s first pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, No. 63 overall in the second round.
He’s the fourth Rangers player to make his NHL debut this season, joining forwards Noah Laba and Jaroslav Chmelar, and goalie Dylan Garand. The most recent to do so was Garand, who sparkled with a 35-save debut in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.
2. Blue-line juggling
When Sykora was recalled, the Rangers sent defenseman Connor Mackey back to Hartford after a three-game stint in the NHL lineup. So, Vincent Iorio draws back in on the third defense pair, giving the Rangers four righties on the blue line. That means, right-hand shots Braden Schneider and Will Borgen are reunited. Though not his preference, coach Mike Sullivan stated Wednesday that the move is out of “necessity” to make sure the Rangers have their four best defensemen on the top-two pairs.
Vladislav Gavrikov and Adam Fox remain on the top pair, and Matthew Robertson slides back to play alongside Iorio. Rookie Drew Fortescue won’t join the list of players to make their NHL debuts this season just. He took part in the morning skate again, but has yet to participate in a full practice since the Rangers signed him to an entry-level contract out of Boston College last week.
3. Shoot the puck & get it on net
Only the Chicago Blackhawks (24.4) average fewer shots per game in the NHL this season than the Rangers (25.0). And lately, it’s been worse than that for the Rangers. They’ve managed more than 25 shots on goal just once in their past seven games — and failed to reach 20 in four of them.
The Rangers likely hit rock bottom Monday, when they finished with 10 shots on goal — thanks to a “flurry” of five in the third period against the Senators. That total came within one of the fewest shots on goal in franchise history — nine — against the Detroit Red Wings all the way back in 1955, according to the Rangers.
Sullivan lamented his team’s unwillingness to let fly with more attempts, and their inability to get attempts on net. The Rangers had 37 shot attempts Monday — 12 were blocked and 15 simply missed the net. Captain J.T. Miller had four attempts — two were blocked, two missed the net — and zero on goal.
New York Rangers projected lineup
Alexis Lafreniere — Mika Zibanejad — Gabe Perreault
Will Cuylle — Vincent Trocheck — Adam Sykora
Tye Kartye — J.T. Miller — Conor Sheary
Taylor Raddysh — Jonny Brodzinski — Jaroslav Chmelar
Vladislav Gavrikov — Adam Fox
Braden Schneider — Will Borgen
Matthew Robertson — Vincent Iorio
Igor Shesterkin
Dylan Garand
Rangers vs. Maple Leafs: When, where, what time, how to watch
Who: New York Rangers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
When: Wednesday March 25 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Scotiabank Arena
How to watch: MSG
