MAPLE GRIEF
Rangers fight hard but drop shootout in Toronto
TORONTO — In a game between two of the hottest teams in the NHL, the Rangers were extinguished.
Six points now separate the second-place Blueshirts and the fourth-place Maple Leafs in the Eastern Conference standings after the latter rallied for a 4-3 shootout win on goals from Mitch Marner and Maxi Domi on Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena, where the parity of the two clubs was on full display to preview what could be an eventual playoff matchup.
“The game, the whole regulation, was hard-fought, playoffstyle hockey,” said Vincent Trocheck, who scored the game-tying goal during a six-on-five advantage with 1:07 left in regulation to force overtime. “That’s what you got to expect this last quarter of the season going into the playoffs. Everyone’s getting ready and preparing to play that kind of hockey.”
The Rangers may still be working toward postseason shape, but goalie Igor Shesterkin appears to already be there.
Shesterkin posed as much of a challenge as he could with 31 saves on 34 shots in regulation, in addition to stopping Auston Matthews in the shootout, to set the Rangers up for success.
Other than a drive to the net from Marner, it took an inadvertent deflection off of Rangers defenseman Erik Gustafsson’s stick and a puck bounce off Maple Leafs captain John Tavares’ knee to beat the 28-year-old netminder in regulation.
Unfortunately for the Rangers, Toronto received just as strong goaltending from Ilya Samsonov, who made five crucial stops in overtime and denied Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere in the shootout on the way to 32 saves.
“Had lots of chances in overtime to win the game and couldn’t get it done,” head coach Peter Laviolette said. “Came down to a shootout and we lost a point because of it. Overall, I thought the guys were battling to win a game.”
Led by the second line of Trocheck, Lafreniere and Panarin, the Rangers had the Maple Leafs chasing the game at points through the first two periods of a 2-2 game. The problem was, however, they were the only Rangers trio producing.
Lafreniere put together his second three-point effort of the season with one goal and two assists, while Trocheck chipped in two goals and Panarin earned two assists.
The Rangers’ top unit, on the other hand, struggled to make any sort of offensive impact on the game. Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Kaapo Kakko were outchanced 6-2, according to Natural Stat Trick, in addition to the Finnish wing finishing with zero shots on goal.
The three Maple Leafs’ regulation goals each came from a different line. Eight Toronto players showed up on the score sheet in comparison to the Rangers’ four. That’s where the difference proved to be in this one.
“I think we played well defensively. Against a team like that, that’s obviously extremely important,” Trocheck said. “Didn’t give them a whole lot. Going into overtime against a team like that, there’s a lot of firepower on both sides, it’s going to create some chances. Goalie stood on his head there a little bit in overtime and then anything can happen in a shootout.
“Proud of the way we played, but no moral victories when it comes to getting two points.”