(Sports Network) - The surprising Toronto Maple Leafs will try to continue their perfect start to the season tonight, when they visit the New York Rangers in a battle between Original Six clubs at Madison Square Garden.
Toronto has missed the postseason for a club-record five straight seasons, but this year the Maple Leafs are off to their first 3-0 start since the 1999-2000 campaign. The Leafs haven't won four straight to kick off a season since they began the 1993-94 campaign with 10 straight victories.
Last year, Toronto didn't pick up its third win of the year until November 7 and its fourth victory came two weeks later on Nov. 21
The Maple Leafs are coming off Wednesday's 4-3 victory in Pittsburgh. Clarke MacArthur scored twice as Toronto kept the Penguins winless in their new home, CONSOL Energy Center.
Francois Beauchemin and Colton Orr each had a goal for the Maple Leafs, while Jonas Gustavsson stopped 22 shots in the win.
"We spent a lot of our time in our end, but the Monster (Gustavsson) came up big again and again," said Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson. "He played a great game and came up with some huge saves when we needed them."
Orr suffered a head injury in a fight with Pittsburgh's Deryk Engelland on Wednesday and is questionable for tonight's game.
Tonight marks the first of three straight games against New York teams for the Leafs. Toronto will host the Islanders in its next game on Monday night and then welcome the Rangers to Air Canada Centre next Thursday.
The Rangers have split a pair of games so far this season and are coming off Monday's road loss to the rival Islanders. Blake Comeau scored twice, including the game-winner late in the game, to help the Isles take a 6-4 decision at Nassau Coliseum.
Michael Del Zotto, Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov each had a goal and an assist for the Rangers, who had opened their season with a 6-3 win over Buffalo. Henrik Lundqvist was charged with five goals on 31 shots.
"I'm not unhappy with the club because there are some good things we're doing out there," said Rangers coach John Tortorella. "We'll just have to pick up from here and take the positives out of this game."
Rangers captain Chris Drury will make his season debut tonight after missing the first two games with a broken left index finger. Drury is coming off a disappointing 2009-10 campaign in which he notched just 14 goals and 32 points in 77 games.
"No one likes to miss games, and you don't like to start the season in the stands," Drury told the Rangers' web site. "Certainly it's been something new to me, but overall I feel pretty good and am excited to get going."
Rangers forward Erik Christensen, however, is questionable for tonight's game with a strained right groin suffered in the third period of Monday's game.
New York won three out of four meetings with the Maple Leafs last season and earned victories in both encounters at MSG. Toronto has still taken four of seven overall in the series, but the Leafs have dropped three of four and six of its last 10 games in the Big Apple.