On a night the great Steven McDonald was honored and remembered, the New York Rangers disappointed fans against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- New York Rangers 2 (28-14-1, 57 pts)
- Toronto Maple Leafs 4 (19-13-8, 46 pts)
- NHL, Final, Box Score
- Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
It’s tough to understand everything Steven McDonald stands for and think his New York Rangers would play a flat game against a young team, but that’s exactly what happened on Friday the 13th at Madison Square Garden.
Henrik Lundqvist not only looked rusty, he allowed three weak goals to slip by him in the disappointing 4-2 loss. He managed just 23 saves on 27 shots.
William Nylander — son of one-time Ranger Michael Nylander — put his Toronto Maple Leafs on the board just 4:49 into the contest:
Hereeeeeee's William! Nylander gets the Leafs on the board first. #TMLtalk pic.twitter.com/7JeoLfv5U3
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) January 14, 2017
After Hank allowed that softie to get through, James van Riemsdyk added another softie with just 2:32 left in the first period:
James van Riemsdyk made it 2-0 Leafs and that's where we stand after the first period in New York. #TMLtalk pic.twitter.com/hNhBc3iG0r
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) January 14, 2017
For the Leafs third goal, while it did travel through Lundqvist’s five-hole, yet again, it was deflected off Ryan McDonagh. Connor Brown received credit for the tally.
Connor Brown…scores! #TMLtalk pic.twitter.com/JgqoaiaMRl
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) January 14, 2017
Chris Kreider and J.T. Miller were the goal-scorers for the Rangers. Kreider somehow put one past the hot Frederik Andersen midway through the second period while Miller added his 13th in the season in garbage time.
To say Chris Kreider was excited about this one would be a drastic understatement. 2-1 Leafs. #NYR pic.twitter.com/23aKOwhAlU
— Elite Sports NY (@EliteSportsNY) January 14, 2017
After the Kreider goal, New York found itself with a golden opportunity to tie the score at two but hit the post on the power play. In fact, after coming into the game hot with the man advantage, the Rangers went 0-for-6 against the Leafs.
New York will turn around quickly and get up to Montreal for a Saturday night date with the Canadiens.
The full #NYR pregame tribute to Steven McDonald & the ceremonial puck drop by Patti Ann & Conor as seen on @MSGNetworks. #TogetherWeAre104 pic.twitter.com/DeWEzH57II
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 14, 2017
