The New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs played one of those barnburner type games where scoring was in bunches, and it came down to the one who scored last. Unfortunately, to everyone reading this article as a die-hard Blueshirts fan, the Leafs got the last laugh.
This game had just about everything you can ask for, but it can really be boiled down to a couple of winenrs and some losers to boot. Let's go over them.
Winners
Adam Fox
There was a certain somebody who said that Adam Fox was entering Norris Trophy territory, once again. That was before a slick four-assist showing against Toronto, but unfortunately, it was not enough.
No. 23 cannot do it on his own, and in this game, he looked like one of the only good defenders out there. His partner, Vladislav Gavrikov, made a solid desperation save on Leafs d-man Morgan Reilly, but the rest of the blue line unit was not as great.
Alexis Lafrenière
Getting back on the scoresheet was Alexis Lafrenière. This was the first time he has scored since the multi-goal effort against Tampa Bay on October 13, and now his point streak extends to two games. Lafrenière is continuing this breakout season against some top talent, and that is the most refreshing and satisfying part of this 2026-27 Rangers season.
Mika Zibanejad
One of the better Rangers on the night was Mika Zibanejad, as he scored a goal and added an assist in the 5-4 loss. No. 93 has been up-and-down this season, with mostly staying in the positive range. His season total now reads three goals and eight assists for 11 points, and this is the first away game that he was able to gain a point.
Losers
Dylan Garand
This was a tough one for Dylan Garand, as it was on the other side for Maple Leafs goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. As both teams gave up over four goals or more on the night, this is the kind of game that you forget as a netminder. Garand stopped 30 of 35 shots, but unfortunately, he let in the last one.
The Rangers only have two more games remaining in October, and it will be very interesting if head coach Mike Sullivan goes with Garand for both of them.
Alberts Smits
One of the more invisible Rangers in the game was defenseman Alberts Smits. He only had 12:27 of ice-time, did not register a shot on goal for the second-straight contest and wasn't much of an impact overall. This has been a better stretch for Smits leading into this game, but against the Leafs high-octane offense, he clearly shown that he might not be ready yet.
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