Both teams elected to start this game best on best as they both had their top lines in the starting lineup. After a sluggish first period against the Islanders Monday night, Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe switched to reuniting Matthews with Marner and Tavares with Nylander. After that switch, the Leafs dominated the Islanders in the second and third periods, so it only made sense to come back with those line combos again tonight against the Rangers. The Leafs opened the scoring in this one just 2:27 into the game with their first shot on goal. Pontus Holmberg threw a backhander on net that found its way past Igor Shesterkin for his fifth goal of the year. The Leafs got caught with six guys on the ice for an extended period, resulting in too many men against them, giving the Rangers the first power play of the game. The Leafs were able to kill off the man advantage, but the Rangers managed to generate four shots on goal. The Leafs were given their first power play as Vincent Trochek was called for tripping Calle Jarnkrok at the 8:42 mark. The top unit was able to generate a couple of great scoring chances, but the Rangers successfully killed it off. With 7:42 remaining in the opening period, K’Andre Miller flattened Timothy Liljegren at center ice. A very even, fast-paced opening 20 minutes came to a close as both teams traded scoring chances throughout the entire period. Shots on goal were 9-8 for the Rangers. TOI leader for the blue and white was Morgan Rielly with 8:25.
Filip Chytil surprised everyone as he decided to go forward on an offensive zone face-off just 2:10 into the second period. By doing so, he caught Ilya Samsonov off guard, and the puck found its way to the back of the net, tying the game 1-1. The Leafs top line had several opportunities to get the puck out of their own zone, but they failed. It eventually led to the go-ahead goal for the Rangers as Kappo Kakko set up Filip Chytil for a one-timer that he made no mistake on for his second of the game. After taking the lead, the Rangers went back on the attack as they hemmed the Leafs in their zone for over a minute of play. Luckily for the Leafs, they could get out of it unscathed. Chytil continued to get his name all over the scoresheet in this one. This time it was for a tripping minor on Joey Anderson, giving the Leafs their second power play of the game. John Tavares won the face-off to start the power play, but the Rangers went the other way with a short-handed odd-man rush. Samsonov was able to come up with another clutch save for the blue and white. Once again, the Rangers penalty kill did a great job killing off the man advantage and not giving the Leafs the time or space to create anything offensively.
The Leafs would spend a couple of back-to-back shifts in the Rangers zone, and it put the Rangers on their heels. The increase in the tempo of the Leafs play would eventually lead to their third power play as Braden Schneider was called for holding Joey Anderson at 17:01. That was Anderson’s second penalty drawn. For the third time on the night, the Leafs power play once again came up empty-handed. It shouldn’t come as that big of a surprise, however, as the Rangers have the second-best road penalty kill in the entire league. The final seconds would tick away, and the second period would come to a close with the Rangers leading 2-1. Shots on goal in the middle frame were 14-11 in favor of the blue and white and 22-20 in favor of the Leafs. TOI leader after 40 minutes was Morgan Rielly with 16:49.
In the opening moments of the third period, there wasn’t much of anything happening for either team. There was a lot of neutral zone play and a lot of one-and-dones in each offensive zone. The Rangers would carry the puck into the Leafs zone only to have the puck turned back the other way, and the Leafs would do the same in the Rangers zone. Timothy Liljegren, unfortunately, launched the puck into the crowd in his own zone resulting in a delay of game penalty at 3.34. At the beginning of the power play, Chris Kreider had a prime scoring chance at the side of the Leafs goal, but he somehow missed a wide-open net. That would be the only great scoring chance for the Rangers as the Leafs successfully killed off the man advantage. The Rangers generated a dangerous chance off the rush, resulting in William Cuylle flying over Ilya Samsonov. Samsonov was not impressed with that and gave Kreider a shot with his blocker. Mark Giordano also showed his frustration as he tackled Cuylle due to the collision. Keefe started to load up a line throughout the third period. Earlier on, he went with Tavares, Matthews, and Marner. He went with Nylander, Matthews, and Marner a few shifts later. The latter was able to hem the Rangers in their own zone and generate some offensive zone opportunities. Keefe continued to play Matthews, Marner, Nylander, and Tavares as much as possible, with less than 10 minutes remaining in regulation. The Leafs continued their offensive onslaught, and they finally broke through as Timothy Liljegren came flying in from the point, and he made no mistake, ripping his fourth of the year over the glove of Shesterkin at 15:49, tying the game up 2-2. William Nylander picked up the secondary assist on the game-tying goal giving him 400 career points. With 1:26 to go in regulation, the Rangers elected to use their timeout. Timothy Liljegren turned the puck over in his own zone with less than a minute to go, which resulted in a fantastic scoring chance for the Rangers, but Samsonov shut the door. In the dying seconds, the Leafs managed to get into the Rangers zone, and the puck found its way on the stick of John Tavares in the slot, but he wired a rocket of a shot off the bar and out. The Leafs held a 9-8 shot advantage in the third period and a 33-28 shot advantage overall. TOI leader at the end of regulation was Morgan Rielly 28:10 with 28:10.
It didn’t take long in overtime as Mitch Marner put his elite skill and patience on full display as he walked the entire trio of Rangers as well as Shesterkin. Simply a fantastic individual effort to secure the win for the blue and white!
Tonight’s Three Stars
1. Mitch Marner: 1 Goal (GWG)
2. Ilya Samsonov: 26 Saves
3. Timothy Liljegren: 1 Goal 1 Assist
The Leafs five game home stand will continue on Friday as they host the Ottawa Senators for the next chapter in the Battle of Ontario!
For more Leafs news and in-game tweets, follow me on Twitter @mikethefanatic! Also, be sure to check out The Leafs Late Night Podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts!
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