Rangers score five unanswered goals to overtake Leafs

[January 20, 2022] Ryan Strome scored the tiebreaking goal, Chris Kreider scored his 25th of the season and Adam Fox and Ryan Reaves each scored twice as the New York Rangers rallied for a 6-3 victory over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.

Strome snapped a 3-3 tie with 9:10 remaining by capitalizing on an easy opportunity. Defenseman Ryan Lindgren's shot from the above the left circle was blocked by William Nylander, but the puck caromed to Strome, who positioned himself at the right doorstep and tapped the puck into the vacated right side of the net.

Kreider made it 5-3 nearly five minutes later by joining Auston Matthews, Leon Draisaitl and Alex Ovechkin as the fourth player to reach 25 goals when he lifted his own rebound over goalie Jack Campbell's right pad.

Reaves recorded his second career two-goal game as the Rangers won for the seventh time in 10 games (7-3-0). Fox netted the tying goal late in the second period and capped the comeback with an empty-net goal with 2:24 remaining.

New York goalie Igor Shesterkin made 17 of his 35 saves in the third period. He stopped the last 27 shots he faced and highlighted the final period with a left-pad save on Nylander's breakaway early in the period and a right pad stop on Pierre Engvall's partial breakaway with about 7 1/2 minutes left.

New York Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren (55) controls the puck during the second period against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

Ilya Mikheyev and Mitchell Marner scored in a 46-second span as Toronto had the game's first seven shots. Michael Bunting also scored in the Maple Leafs' three-goal opening period.

Matthews was unable to score for the 11th straight road game, leaving him one shy of the NHL record set by Steve Yzerman (1988-89) and Pavel Bure (1993-94). He had a goal overturned by replay with 3:52 left in the third because of a distinct kicking motion.

Campbell allowed five goals on 26 shots.

Toronto went ahead 2:44 in when Mikheyev lifted a rebound over Shesterkin's stick and took a 2-0 lead when Marner put a wrist shot over Shesterkin 3 1/2 minutes in.

After Reaves lifted a wrist shot by Campbell's pads, Bunting made it 3-1 when he redirected a Matthews pass off right knee.

Reaves made it 3-2 just 2:58 into the second when he swept a rebound off Toronto defenseman Rasmus Sandin's stick. Fox tied it with 2:11 left in the middle period by eluding two defenders and putting a wrist shot under Campbell.

--Field Level Media

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