Fresh off a 5-2 win over the Red Wings that was highlighted by the eighth hat trick of Artemi Panarin’s career, the Rangers pay a visit to Toronto for an Original Six battle with the high powered Maple Leafs.

Panarin scored twice on the power play and once at even strength. Six of his eight hat tricks have come since joining the Rangers in 2019-20. Ironically, his first two three-goal games came against the Rangers when he played for the Blackhawks and then the Blue Jackets. All eight have involved the Blueshirts in some capacity.

Panarin entered Saturday as the league’s leading scorer with five goals and six assists for 11 points. In 22 career games versus the Leafs, he has seven goals, 17 assists, and 24 points. He went 1-3-4 in the three-game season series last season.

While the Bread Man continues to carry the offensive load, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette has decided to make a couple of lineup changes for tonight’s game. One includes sitting Zac Jones for Chad Ruhwedel. A move that makes no sense.

This isn’t a knock on Ruhwedel. A savvy veteran who knows how to play the game, the 34-year-old former Penguin filled in admirably last season when an injury to Jacob Trouba sidelined him. In five games, he was solid but unspectacular. That means he didn’t make any glaring mistakes. It’s a compliment to the work Ruhwedel put in.

Laviolette’s reasoning behind inserting Ruhwedel is that he wanted to get everyone involved. Ruhwedel has been out for a bit. He liked how he played last season, emphasizing the physicality he brings.

In four games this season, Jones has an assist with a +4 rating while averaging 15:45 of ice time. He was paired up with rookie Victor Mancini. Mancini scored his first career NHL goal in the second period of Thursday’s victory over the Red Wings. He took a Kaapo Kakko feed and beat Cam Talbot with a one-timer from the point.

If there’s been a revelation, it’s been the way Mancini’s handled his introduction to the NHL. The 22-year-old 2022 fifth round pick plays with poise. He doesn’t look overwhelmed playing against the world’s best players. For a young player who doesn’t have much pro experience, that bodes well for the future.

Once Ryan Lindgren returns from the injured list, Mancini will be sent back down to the Hartford Wolf Pack. Lindgren practiced with Jones as the extra pair during Saturday’s morning skate. He was eligible to return on Thursday. But he isn’t ready yet.

Without Jones in the lineup, Mancini will team up with Ruhwedel on the third pair. Laviolette has kept the top two pairs together. K’Andre Miller remains with Adam Fox on the top pair. Braden Schneider continues to adjust well to playing the left side while working with Jacob Trouba. They’ve been on for three goals for and two goals against.

Once Lindgren is back, it’ll be interesting to see what Laviolette decides to do with the defense. The assumption is that he’ll be reunited with Fox – bumping Miller back down to the second pair. If that happens, will it be with Trouba or Schneider? Jones is more familiar with Schneider. It remains to be seen if they’ll have Trouba play on the third pair.

Rempe Returns for Reaves

The other move for tonight’s match is one that’s been expected. Matt Rempe makes his return to the lineup.

He will be in for Jonny Brodzinski, who’s off to a strong start. If you go by his metrics, he’s been an effective player at 5-on-5 with newcomer Sam Carrick. You can’t argue with their early corsi numbers. When they play with Adam Edstrom, all three are 54.0 CF or higher. That’s as good as it gets for a fourth line.

This will be Rempe’s second game of the season. He received less than four minutes in last Saturday’s home opener against Utah HC. The Rangers lost 6-5 in overtime. Laviolette cut down to three lines due to the team playing from behind. Edstrom was ejected for being the second participant in two fights. That more than anything resulted in Laviolette prioritizing the top nine.

When it comes down to it, Rempe’s return coincides with a familiar opponent. It was last season that he and former Ranger Ryan Reaves collided in the third period of their first meeting at Scotiabank Arena on Mar. 2. They battled to an entertaining draw with each landing heymakers.

It isn’t hard to imagine a rematch. Rempe and Reaves both provide the same thing for their respective teams. They bring energy, physicality, and toughness. Reaves is the well-respected cagey veteran who’s been through the wars. Rempe remains the new kid on the block. He brings a youthful enthusiasm to his shifts.

While not every hockey fan loves fighting these days, it’s still a key element to the game. Rempe has been very outspoken about wanting to improve his play. He worked hard during the summer on his skating and also trained with former enforcer Georges Laraque. If he does battle with Reaves, it’ll be interesting to see what he learned.

We’ll see how many shifts Rempe gets. Since the second round of last postseason, Laviolette hasn’t shown much confidence in him. It could be that his days are numbered. Jimmy Vesey has to sit out five more games after tonight. He can be activated from LTIR by the Rangers on Nov. 3 against the Islanders.