The Toronto Maple Leafs secured a thrilling 4-3 victory over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on March 20, 2025. This marked the team's third consecutive win, improving their season record to 20 road victories.
In a night filled with milestones, Leafs' captain John Tavares achieved significant personal success, scoring two goals and adding an assist to become the 68th player in NHL history to record 1,100 career points. The 34-year-old now sits at 68th all-time, just four points shy of surpassing legendary Maple Leafs player Frank Mahovlich.
Tavares opened the scoring at the 12:30 mark of the first period with a powerful shot against Rangers' goalie Igor Shesterkin, giving Toronto an early lead. This goal was assisted by Jake McCabe and William Nylander, marking Nylander's 600th career point, making him the fastest active Swedish player to achieve this milestone.
The game saw its fair share of lead changes. The Rangers answered back when Will Borgen tied the game with his fifth goal of the season at 19:12. However, Bobby McMann quickly restored the Leaf's lead, netting his 19th goal of the season just 38 seconds later, ending the first period with a 2-1 score in favor of Toronto.
As the second period began, Artemi Panarin struck early for the Rangers, scoring his team-leading 31st goal at 1:22, once again tying the game. Yet, Tavares responded with another goal at 4:16, his 29th of the season, giving Toronto the lead once more. Matthew Knies then extended the Leaf's lead to 4-2 with his 25th goal at 14:26, showcasing his talent as a young player.
Despite controlling much of the game, the Maple Leafs had to fend off a late comeback attempt from the Rangers, who narrowed the gap to 4-3 with Chris Kreider's goal at 19:25 of the third period. Leaf's goaltender Anthony Stolarz played a crucial role in the win, making 27 saves, his first victory since February 28, 2025, when the Maple Leafs also defeated the Rangers.
With this win, the Maple Leafs improved to 7-4-2 in the second leg of back-to-back games, having faced the Colorado Avalanche just the night before. The victory also puts Toronto in a strong position in the Atlantic Division, where they are tied with the Florida Panthers, both teams holding 87 points.
Looking at the broader context of the game, the Maple Leafs' well-rounded performance highlighted not only individual accomplishments, such as Tavares' milestones and Nylander's 600 points, but also the overall team effort with contributions from players like Jake McCabe, who recorded three assists for the first time in his NHL career. Meanwhile, the Rangers struggled, falling to a disappointing 2-5-2 record over their last nine games and dropping their third consecutive home game.
As they head into their next matchup against the Nashville Predators on Saturday, the Maple Leafs aim to keep their winning streak alive, while the Rangers will also look to bounce back at home against the Vancouver Canucks.
