Leafs @ Rangers

7:00PM EST

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Enemy Territory: Blue Shirt Banter

It's Devil's Night!

I recall this being very scary when I was 6 years old. My fellow Grade 1 students would tell horrifying stories (to a 6 year old) of all the crazy things that happen on this night. The reality in my West Hamilton neighbourhood was little beyond a few smashed pumpkins, an egged house, and occasionally a toilet papered tree. News from TV showed neighbourhoods in unnamed nearby cities did not fare so well.

What about our Leafs? Devil's Night has not been kind to them. While we trounced the Flames last year, and the year before that was the lock out, the three prior years were three straight losses to the Senators, Rangers, and Sabres.

Oh my it's getting late! On to the game preview. Both the Leafs and the Rangers have had a long break here, neither playing since last Sunday. Everyone should be well rested and ready to go. The Rangers are 6-2-2 to start this season and the Leafs are poop stuck in the NHL standing's basement, but with a lot of "moral victories" (the worst kind of victories).

Do we have a goalie controversy again? I think we have a goalie controversy again. This time it's not who is better, but who is less worse :( Both Reimer and Bernier have played poorly at times this season. Perhaps it's only a need to shake off some rust, perhaps Bernier is keeping Reimer up all night.

Tonight is the start of a back-to-back so it will be very telling who Babcock has in net tomorrow.

Rich Clune's debut for the Leafs is tonight after he was signed yesterday, and Mark Arcobello was waived. We all know his back story is inspiring, but his play is solidly fourth line.

Since we last saw the Rangers they traded Carl Hagelin away to Anaheim, which probably was really exciting for him at the time. Now... not so much. Hagelin has 1 goal and 1 assist, which hilariously ties him for second in points on the Ducks (Mike Santorelli is first). Hagelin is still first in abs though. Also out is Marty St. Louis who retired after his ex-team kicked the crap out of his new team in the Eastern Conference Final.

The Rangers got back Emerson Etem who has only played two games so far, picking up one assist. He is expected to draw in tonight since Viktor Stalberg is out after taking this hit last Saturday.

Tonight's Projected Lines

According to Newsday, the Rangers lines are projected as follows:

Zuccarello-Brassard-Nash
Kreider-Stepan-Fast
Lindberg-Hayes-Miller
Etem-Stoll-Moore

McDonagh-Klein
Yandle-Girardi
Staal-Boyle

Lundqvist starts.

It will be interesting to see Stoll and Clune out on the ice together.

Now turn out the lights it's time for me to roll out of sight.

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