(Sports Network) - The New York Rangers hope a coaching change can help turn their fortunes around. Tonight, the Rangers will visit the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre in the finale of a home-and-home series and the first game for New York since the firing of Tom Renney.
It's a game you can catch on TSN starting at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The game is also available in TSNHD.
New York has a record of 31-23-7 and is currently 10 points behind first- place New Jersey in the Atlantic Division. The Rangers are also sixth in the Eastern Conference playoff race with 69 points, just two ahead of ninth-place Carolina. The top eight teams qualify for the playoffs.
The Rangers made the playoffs in all three of Renney's full seasons with the club and had won a series in each of the past two springs. Renney posted a record of 164-121-42 with the Rangers.
Tortorella won a Stanley Cup with the Lightning in the spring of 2004, but was fired in June of 2008 with one year remaining on his contract. This is Tortorella's second stint with the Blueshirts, as he was previously an assistant with the Rangers and took over as interim coach for the final four games of the 1999-2000 season after John Muckler was fired. New York was 0-4 under Tortorella during that brief stint.
The Rangers picked up a point in Sunday's overtime loss to the Maple Leafs, as Niklas Hagman scored on the power play three minutes into the extra session, lifting Toronto to the 3-2 decision at Madison Square Garden.
With Rangers forward Blair Betts in the penalty box for hooking, Pavel Kubina drilled a feed above the left circle from Lee Stempniak that was deflected in front by Hagman, slid underneath the left leg of Henrik Lundqvist and trickled across the goal line.
Kubina and Stempniak each collected three assists for the Maple Leafs, who won for just the second time in their last seven games. Ian White and John Mitchell also scored for Toronto, while Vesa Toskala turned away 39 of the 41 shots he faced to pick up the win.
Michal Rozsival tied the game with 40 seconds left in the third period and Scott Gomez also tallied for the Rangers, who are 2-7-3 over their last 12 games. Brandon Dubinsky recorded two assists and Lundqvist made 23 saves in defeat.
Tonight, the Rangers will try to avoid an eighth straight road loss, as the club has failed to post a win away from the Big Apple since beating Chicago on January 16. New York has a 13-14-3 record as the visiting team this year
The Maple Leafs, who are 13 points out of a playoff spot, are 10-11-8 as the host this year and have lost three straight on home ice.
This evening's tilt marks the final meeting between the Rangers and Leafs this season. Toronto has a 2-0-1 mark in those games and has won four of the last seven encounters between the clubs. However, New York has notched four victories in its last six trips to the Centre.
Renney was fired on Monday and replaced later in the day by former Tampa Bay head coach John Tortorella. The firing came after Sunday's home loss to Toronto gave the Rangers their 10th loss in 12 games.