What Happened
The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the visiting New York Rangers 5-4 on Thursday night, with Troy Stecher scoring the game-winner with less than 30 seconds remaining. Toronto's fourth line of Zack MacEwen, Teddy Blueger and Brandon Duhaime provided the spark, combining for a go-ahead goal after a sequence of relentless forechecking. The goal gave all three their first points in a Maple Leafs sweater.
Key Details
- Stecher's winner came with under 30 seconds left in a back-and-forth game
- Blueger scored the go-ahead goal from the netfront after a Duhaime pass
- MacEwen battled behind the net to start the scoring sequence
- The MacEwen-Blueger-Duhaime line recorded its first points as Maple Leafs
- Zibanejad deflected a Gavrikov point shot past Bobrovsky earlier in the game
What It Means
Toronto's depth forwards delivered on a night when the team was sluggish, according to Stecher. The fourth line's forechecking and production gave the Maple Leafs a lift and showed the value of veteran bottom-six experience.