NEW YORK (AP) — Mats Zuccarello scored with 58.3 seconds left to give the New York Rangers their ninth straight win, 4-3 over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday night.
Zuccarello also had two assists as league-best New York improved to 14-2-2, the best 18-game start in franchise history in wins and points (30). The Rangers’ winning streak is their third-longest overall and longest since winning 10 straight in the 1972-73 season.
Ryan McDonagh, Derek Stepan and Derick Brassard also scored for New York, and Antti Raanta made 23 saves.
Peter Holland, Joffrey Lupul and Dion Phaneuf scored for Toronto, which snapped a three-game winning streak. Jonathan Bernier stopped 26 shots.
Bernier was shaky throughout the game, surrendering rebounds. That was costly on Zuccarello’s game-winner. McDonagh fired a shot from the left point that Bernier couldn’t control and Zuccarello poked the puck into the net to decide a wild, back-and-forth contest.
Holland opened the scoring with 2:03 left in the first period with a backhander from in close. The goal was his third of the season, and his second in four games.
The lead lasted all of 2:47 of game time as McDonagh tied it 44 seconds into the second period with his third of the year off of a cross-ice feed from Zuccarello.
New York took a 2-1 lead at with 6:05 left in the second as Bernier misplayed Stepan’s shot from center-ice, and the puck rolled under the Toronto goaltender’s pads. It was the second goal from center-ice Bernier allowed in less than a year, as Arizona’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson had a similar score on Jan. 30.
Lupul’s goal with 2:22 left in the period tied it again.
Brassard scored 3:37 into the third to put the Rangers ahead 3-2. The goal, his sixth of the season, came off a pass from Zuccarello from behind the net.
Phaneuf tied it again 1:38 later with his second of the season.
NOTES: Prior to the game, there was a moment of silence for the victims of Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris, followed by the singing of the French, Canadian and American national anthems. … Dan Boyle and Emerson Etem were scratched by New York. … Toronto scratched Brad Boyes, Frank Corrado and Martin Marincin.
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