Leafs Hold Off Late Rangers Push for Third Straight Win
The New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs, two-storied Original Six franchises, faced off on Thursday night in a matchup filled with intensity and playoff urgency. Both teams entered the game looking to build momentum as the regular season winds down, setting the stage for a fast-paced, physical battle. Toronto came out on top with a 4-3 victory, improving to 42-24-3 and pulling into a tie for first place in the Atlantic Division with the Florida Panthers at 87 points. The Rangers, now 33-31-6, extended their losing streak to three games as they continue to battle for positioning in the Metropolitan Division.
The Toronto Maple Leafs opened the scoring in the first period, with captain John Tavares netting his 28th goal of the season at the 12:30 mark. The play began with William Nylander collecting the puck in the defensive zone and making a one-handed breakout pass to Tavares, who then connected with Jake McCabe in the neutral zone. After a smooth zone entry, McCabe dished the puck back to Tavares, who finished the play with a heavy slap shot. The Rangers responded late in the period when defenseman Will Borgen used Nicolas Robertson as a screen to fire a shot from the point and beat Anthony Stolarz, tying the game at 1-1. The Leafs answered quickly just seconds later, when Bobby McMann deflected a point shot for his 19th of the season, with assists from McCabe and Tavares. Toronto carried a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.
Early in the second period, the Rangers tied the game once again following a defensive breakdown by Morgan Rielly. Artemi Panarin capitalized on a rebound off a long shot from Vincent Trocheck, who had received the puck from Adam Fox. The goal was Panarin’s 31st of the season and brought the game to 2-2. Just under three minutes later, Toronto reclaimed the lead. McCabe, escaping pressure from Trocheck, fired a shot from the point that was turned away by Igor Shesterkin, but Tavares was in perfect position to bury the rebound and notch his second of the night, his 29th of the year. McMann and McCabe picked up the assists. The Leafs extended their lead late in the period when Matthew Knies finished a sharp-angle play, beating Shesterkin low on the blocker side after a clean setup from Nylander, who skated behind the net and found Knies in space. It was Nylander’s second assist of the game and his 35th of the season. The Leafs entered the second intermission with a 4-2 lead.
In the third period, the Rangers had a prime opportunity to cut into the deficit when Matthew Knies was assessed a slashing penalty at 9:18 after knocking the stick out of Zach Jones’ hands. However, their power play woes continued, as they failed to convert once again, failing to score on nine attempts with the man advantage. Their breakthrough finally came at 19:25, when Chris Kreider deflected a point shot from Panarin off the shaft of his stick for his 20th tip-in goal over the past two seasons. The goal scored with a six-on-five advantage, and the goalie pulled, bringing the Rangers within one. Despite the late push, Toronto held on to their 4-3 lead through regulation, securing their third straight win and 20th road victory of the season.
