Troy Stecher fired in the winning goal with 28 seconds left as the Toronto Maple Leafs edged the visiting New York Rangers 5-4 on Thursday.
On a delayed penalty, Morgan Rielly set up Stecher in the right circle for the decisive tally.
Brandon Duhaime had a goal and two assists, Teddy Blueger tallied a goal and an assist and Zack MacEwen had two helpers in a statement game from the Maple Leafs’ fourth line. Easton Cowan and Kirill Marchenko also scored as Toronto won its third game in a row.
Maple Leafs goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made 21 saves while moving into a tie for sixth in all-time goaltender wins. He matched Henrik Lundqvist with his 459th victory.
Adam Fox had four assists for the Rangers while Mika Zibanejad recorded a goal and an assist. Oliver Bjorkstrand,
Tye Kartye and Alexis Lafreniere also scored and Dylan Garand turned away 30 shots as New York fell to 1-2-1 in its past four games.
After the Maple Leafs conceded a goal on the first shot they allowed on Tuesday in an eventual win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, Cowan opened the scoring on Toronto’s first shot just 1:36 in on Thursday. Jake McCabe fired a long pass up to the middle to the speedy sophomore, who wristed one past Garand from the high slot.
Zibanejad tied it just over four minutes later, tipping in Vladislav Gavrikov’s weak wrister from the point.
Blueger swiftly restored Toronto’s lead on a dogged fourth line shift, receiving a slot pass from Duhaime and poking it just barely through the legs of Garand. The goal marked not just Blueger’s first as a Maple Leaf, but also the fourth line’s first on the season.
Toronto’s Nick Blankenburg brought down an on-rushing Justin Dowling early in the second period, and Dowling fell with just enough force to push the puck into the pad of Bobrovsky. Bjorkstrand pounced on the rebound in the crease to tie the game 2-2.
Kartye gave the Rangers a 3-2 lead off another deflection, getting the last touch on Fox’s shot from the point that appeared to hit a slew of bodies en route to the net 6:30 into the middle frame.
Duhaime threw the puck on net and retrieved his own rebound to tie it 90 seconds later, scoring his first as a Maple Leaf.
Marchenko poked home his own rebound on a power play in the last minute of the second period, making it 4-3 after Garand failed to keep hold of the puck.
Lafreniere floated a point shot past Bobrovsky to tie the game 4-4 with just over five minutes remaining in regulation.
Blankenburg left the game in the third period after taking a heavy hit from Will Cuylle.
