Chris Kreider netted two goals, including one into an empty net, as the New York Rangers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 on Saturday night.
In addition to Kreider, Alexis Lafreniere and Artemi Panarin (also into an empty net) contributed goals for the Rangers, who have won their first two matches on a three-game road trip and are currently on a three-game winning streak overall. Mika Zibanejad and Reilly Smith each dished out two assists.
Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin was impressive, stopping 34 shots and making several crucial saves. Auston Matthews scored for the Maple Leafs, who saw their three-game winning streak come to an end.
Toronto’s Anthony Stolarz made 25 saves in net.
The Maple Leafs controlled play for the first half of the opening period until Lafreniere put New York ahead 1-0 at 11:44. He pounced on a rebound to score his third goal of the season with a wrist shot from the slot, following a deflection by Vincent Trocheck on Victor Mancini’s attempt.
Late in the first, William Nylander had a good opportunity to tie the game but broke in alone and missed.
Kreider scored his fourth goal of the season by tapping in a pass from Zibanejad at 9:08 of the second period, while Smith also earned an assist in a six-on-five situation due to a delayed penalty against Toronto.
Defenseman Chris Tanev of Toronto left the game briefly after blocking a shot in the second period but returned later.
Matthews cut the Maple Leafs’ deficit to 2-1 with his second goal of the season at 3:40 of the third period, successfully wrapping around the net after retrieving the puck from the end boards. Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Matthew Knies assisted on the play.
Shesterkin came up big with a save on Nylander late in the third.
Kreider sealed the victory with an empty-net goal at 19:00, marking his fifth of the season, followed shortly by Panarin’s empty-netter at 19:46, his sixth.
Toronto’s Max Pacioretty was a healthy scratch for the second straight game, while defenseman Timothy Liljegren sat out for the fourth time in the team’s first five games.
