Igor Shesterkin’s outstanding performance enabled the New York Rangers to extend their points streak to five games, defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday night.
Shesterkin stood out with 34 saves, securing his third victory in four games. Chris Kreider contributed two goals, helping the Rangers improve to 4-0-1—marking the fourth time in franchise history and the first since the 2008-09 season that they have earned points in each of their first five games. Their .900 points percentage is currently the best in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers also received goals from Alexis Lafreniere and Artemi Panarin, remaining undefeated on the road at 3-0-0 for just the third time in their 98-year history, and the first since 1931-32.
In contrast to their previous outings, the Rangers secured this win through strong defensive play. Panarin, who had recorded multiple points in each of the first four games, was silent until finding the empty net with 14 seconds remaining.
“It was a really good win,” coach Peter Laviolette remarked following his team’s third straight victory.
Auston Matthews was the only Toronto player to score against Shesterkin, ending his shutout attempt at 3:40 into the third period. Matthews’ goal came from his 15 shot attempts, out of which nine were on target. Despite the Leafs outshooting the Rangers 35-29 and attempting 79 to the Rangers’ 55, Shesterkin made crucial saves, especially in the third period when the Leafs intensified their attack.
The game started similarly to the Rangers’ 5-2 win over the Red Wings, with the Maple Leafs initially controlling play in the opening period. However, after allowing six of the first eight shots, the Rangers tightened their defense and improved offensively.
Lafreniere opened the scoring for New York at 11:44, firing a wrist shot past Maple Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz after collecting a loose puck. Rookie defenseman Victor Mancini earned his first NHL assist on the play.
Kreider extended the lead to 2-0 during a delayed penalty at 9:08 of the second period. With Shesterkin on the bench for an extra attacker, Mika Zibanejad recorded his 300th NHL assist by finding Kreider alone at the far post for an easy tap-in.
The Maple Leafs had a power play opportunity with Panarin in the box for slashing but did not capitalize. Their best chance came right after the power play when Max Domi hit the post.
Matthews scored the first goal allowed by Shesterkin this season in the third period, generating momentum for the Maple Leafs, who dominated play but failed to score again despite outshooting the Rangers 18-11 in that final period. Shesterkin made critical saves, including stopping a close-range shot from William Nylander and blocking another attempt from Matthews.
“We sat back a little too much in the third period,” Laviolette acknowledged. “Shesterkin had to make some real good saves. We played well in the first two periods, but we need to maintain that intensity throughout the game.”
Kreider scored into an empty net with just under a minute left, followed by Panarin adding another empty-net goal just before the final whistle.
The Rangers will seek to complete a perfect three-game road trip when they face off against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.
