TORONTO (AP) — Max Domi scored the deciding goal in the shootout and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the New York Rangers 4-3 on Saturday night.
John Tavares, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander had goals in regulation for Toronto, which has won nine of its last 10 games. Ilya Samsonov stopped 32 shots.
After Mika Zibanejad and Marner traded goals in the shootout, Domi put Toronto ahead in the fourth round. New York’s Vincent Trocheck then hit the post to seal the Maple Leafs’ win.
“Tie game going into the third, tie game going into overtime against a really good team,” Domi said. “You’ve gotta have the confidence when the pressure’s on.”
Trocheck scored twice, and Alexis Lafreniere had a goal and two assists as the Rangers lost for just the second time in 13 games (11-1-1). Artemi Panarin also had two assists and Igor Shesterkin made 31 saves.
“Anything can happen in a shootout,” Trocheck said. “Good to get a point.”
Ilya Lyubushkin, who took a big hit from hulking New York rookie Matt Rempe late in the second period and didn’t return, suited up for the Maple Leafs following Thursday’s three-team trade that brought the bruising defenseman back to Toronto from Anaheim. The 29-year-old Russian was also with the club for 31 games and a playoff round in 2022.
The 6-foot-7 Rempe — a combatant in three memorable fights through his first six NHL games — and Toronto’s Ryan Reaves dropped the gloves in a spirited tilt in the third period.
Toronto forward Calle Jarnkrok returned to the lineup after breaking his knuckle in practice on Jan. 26, while defenseman Timothy Liljegren was also back from a two-game absence with an undisclosed injury.
Tavares snapped a 2-2 tie at 7:17 of the third period when Jarnkrok’s shot hit Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba before ricocheting off the Toronto captain and in for his 18th goal of the season.
Domi, whose dad, Tie, sits third all-time in penalty minutes, credited both combatants.
“Hardest job in the game,” Domi said on his 29th birthday. “There’s absolutely nothing even close. … A lot of respect for both those guys.”
Tavares called it a “throwback” fight in an era where that part of the game has become significantly diminished.
“There was some anticipation, everyone was itching for it,” he said. “I don’t know how anyone would ever want to drop’em with Reavo.”
Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe was more concerned with the hit on Lyubushkin, who suffered a head injury, but was seen in the locker room postgame.
“Comes a long way, leaves his feet and hits him in the head,” Keefe said.
Samsonov made a huge stop on Panarin with less that five minutes remaining in regulation and made an even bigger glove save on Adam Fox moments later.
However, Trocheck it with his second of the night and 22nd overall with 1:07 left when he knocked in a rebound.
“We played together,” said Samsonov, who also made a big OT stop on Panarin. “We stayed hard fighting.”
New York opened the scoring with 8:27 left in the first when Lafreniere wired a shot off the post and back bar for his 18th.
After plenty of pre-game talk about Rempe and Reaves, the pair were in close quarters later in the period. Reaves, 37, tried to get the 21-year-old forward’s attention in the neutral zone at the end of their shifts, but Rempe skated off to boos from the Scotiabank Arena crowd.
Samsonov stopped Jimmy Vesey on a breakaway later in the period and Trochek ripped a shot off the post on a power play before Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly swept the loose puck to safety.
Toronto tied it 1-1 at 3:54 of the second when Marner slid his 24th under Shesterkin, but Trochek finished off a nice passing play 1:09 later to put the Rangers back ahead.
Nylander tied it again at 8:54 when he floated a shot through traffic that hit former Toronto defenseman Erik Gustafsson’s stick and fooled Shesterkin for his 33rd. That gave the Swede his third 10-game point streak of the season to set a franchise record.
