Troy Stecher played the finisher for Toronto on Thursday night, burying the game-winner with 26.3 seconds left to lift the Maple Leafs past the New York Rangers 5-4 in a wild one at home.
It was the kind of game that kept swinging all night. Toronto got goals from Brandon Duhaime, Teddy Blueger, Kirill Marchenko and Easton Cowan, with Duhaime adding two assists as well.
Blueger finished with a goal and an assist, and Zack MacEwen chipped in two helpers. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 21 shots as Toronto stretched its winning streak to three and moved to 6-4-2.
New York had plenty of pushback. Mika Zibanejad posted a goal and an assist, while Oliver Bjorkstrand, Tye Kartye and Alexis Lafrenière also scored for the Rangers, who fell to 7-4-1. Adam Fox was all over the puck, setting up four goals, and Dylan Garand made 31 saves.
The last punch came after a delayed penalty with Nick Paul tripped in the offensive zone. Morgan Rielly fed Stecher, and Stecher snapped the puck upstairs for the decisive goal.
The opening minutes set the tone. After the teams traded goals inside the first six minutes, Blueger gave Toronto its first lead at 10:01, as his shot barely crept over the line for his first with the club. New York answered early in the second period when Bjorkstrand scored from close range at 2:37.
The Rangers moved back in front at 6:30 on Kartye’s tip from a point shot, but Toronto answered 90 seconds later when Duhaime cleaned up his own rebound for his first goal in blue and white. Marchenko then put Toronto ahead again with 50 seconds left in the second period on the power play, only for Lafrenière to pull New York level at 14:25 of the third.
Bobrovsky’s night also brought a place in the record book. His 459th win tied Rangers legend Henrik Lundqvist for the most by a non-North American goaltender, and the two now share sixth on the all-time list.
There was also a milestone watch around Auston Matthews. Toronto’s captain and star centre sits two points short of 800 for his career after appearing in his 701st regular-season game Thursday. He is on track to become the third-fastest American to reach that total, trailing only Brett Hull, who did it in 624 games, and Pat LaFontaine, who needed 664.
For New York, there’s another benchmark looming for Zibanejad. His next power-play goal will tie him with Daniel Sedin for second all-time among Swedish players at 138, with Mats Sundin leading that group at 160.
Toronto heads to Edmonton on Saturday, while the Rangers visit Ottawa the same day.
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Chrenkos recent work has been especially notable for New Yorks development staff, since it has come during a winning stretch for Nitra and given him a steadier offensive footprint overseas. Patrikhayevs return matters too, because getting back into the lineup with expanded minutes is the kind of step the Rangers want to see from a prospect trying to climb the depth chart. For a system that still needs more homegrown momentum, even these scattered signs from Europe are worth keeping an eye on. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Keep Finding Painful New Ways To Lose On The Road
The Rangers had already done the hard part at Scotiabank Arena by clawing back late to tie Toronto in the third period, only to watch the night slip away in familiar fashion. The Maple Leafs then spent the final minute pressing with urgency and found the finish they needed, leaving New York with another one-goal loss on the road and another frustrating reminder of how thin the margin has been away from home.
It was the kind of finish that has made this trip so aggravating for the Rangers, who keep finding ways to get themselves back into games only to come up short in the closing moments. Toronto got the last break in a back-and-forth matchup, while Sergei Bobrovsky added a notable milestone with his 459th NHL win, tying a franchise record in the process. [Read more 🡒]
Adam Fox Is Giving The Rangers A Bigger October Story
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There is also a quieter layer to what he has done so far, because his work with Vladislav Gavrikov has given the Rangers a pairing that is not just surviving shifts, but tilting them. For a team looking for structure as much as production, Foxs influence is stretching well beyond the score sheet, and the early returns suggest his October may end up being only the first chapter of a much bigger season-long case. [Read more 🡒]