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TORONTO — The New York Rangers will continue their attempt to get their power play working when they play the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre on Thursday.
They went 0-for-4 on the power play Tuesday in their 3-2 shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens at Madison Square Garden and are 1-for-18 over the past seven games with the advantage in skaters. They are 3-for-39 over the past 14 games and 5-for-50 since, over 17 games starting Jan. 13.
“There’s no doubt that we’ve got some adjustments to make,” Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said.
It has not stopped the Rangers (38-19-2). They are 7-2-1 in their past 10 games.
The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, have won their past two games, including a 5-4 overtime verdict over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday. Toronto (28-20-11) is 5-3-2 over the past 10 games.
Rookie center Mitch Marner will miss his fourth straight game Thursday with a right shoulder injury. Toronto put him on injured reserve retroactive to Feb. 15.
Defenseman Connor Carrick, who left in the first period Tuesday with an upper-body injury, is listed as day-to-day and will not play Thursday.
Carrick’s absence means that Alexey Marchenko will make his debut on the Maple Leafs defense Thursday. Marchenko was claimed off waivers from the Detroit Red Wings Feb. 4. In 30 games with Detroit, he had six assists.
“There was nothing I could do but be patient and work hard in practice,” Marchenko said. “I’ve tried to adjust to the team and the city, move into a new place. I’ve been here for the World Cup and playing against the Marlies (of the AHL) for a couple of years.”
“This is good opportunity for us to see (Marchenko),” Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. “Any time you’ve sat out as much as him, the first game is tough, that’s the way it goes. He has an elite stick, great hockey sense and his biggest thing is quickness. He’s a brave guy who captained a world junior team for Russia.”
With Marner out, the forward lines remain the same, including the combination of Leo Komarov, Nazem Kadri and Josh Leivo. Against the Jets, Komarov had two goals, Kadri had a goal and Leivo had two assists.
“(Kadri) is playing good again and Leivo, I thought, was the best player in the first half of the game on the ice as far as a forward,” Babcock said. “Leo has got it going. That line has been better since Leivo got on it because they play on the cycle. He’s kind of more of a match that way. But, I mean, Naz has had a pretty good year and good for him.”
The Rangers were not happy to gain only one point in their game against the Canadiens.
Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, however, said he was pleased with the way the team played.
“We did a lot of good things,” he said. “We played well enough to win it. “It came down to some extra shots in the end here, but we definitely had the looks and we worked hard all over the ice. We just played a really good team; they had a strong game as well. There are a lot of good things to take with us here for next game. I am pretty disappointed right now but I appreciate the effort here from everyone.”
The Rangers have earned at least one point in eight of their past nine games (7-1-1) and 11 of their last 14 contests (10-3-1).
The Maple Leafs are 15-10-4 at home this season; the Rangers are 19-8-0 on the road. The teams have split two games this season, each winning on the road.
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