Leafs

Mitch Marner scored 19 seconds into overtime as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the New York Rangers 3-2 on Wednesday night.

Cuylle is the first Toronto native to debut in Toronto for a team other than the Leafs since Kirk Tomlinson of the Minnesota North Stars on Feb. "We have high expectations," Keefe said of the goaltender signed to a one-year contract in free agency. "He's a 21-year-old kid," Gallant said. "The Rangers did a good job of shutting us down,” Liljegren. "I had a lot of positive moments," he said. "Wasn't a whole lot happening for us," Keefe said. "But nobody expects anybody to have a (home) record like that. "We stepped on the gas a little bit," Nylander said. "Dialed," Nylander said of his netminder's play at home. "We played real well in a tough building with a real good team against us," Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant said. "Great battle with him," Samsonov said of Shesterkin, last season's Vezina winner as the NHL's top goaltender. "Saw I had my own little lane and tried to take it."

I'm looking forward to tonight's measuring stick game against the New York Rangers. I have a long memory..still remember December 15^th in New York when ...

[https://t.co/UeD0EHDVZ3](https://t.co/UeD0EHDVZ3) [pic.twitter.com/IAImVi0hcV](https://t.co/IAImVi0hcV) [https://t.co/uvEnShfFwr](https://t.co/uvEnShfFwr) [#ad](https://twitter.com/hashtag/ad?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [#pointsbetcanada](https://twitter.com/hashtag/pointsbetcanada?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) Lastly, we also took a look at the up-to-date Atlantic Division standings. I have a long memory..still remember December 15th in New York when Jimmy Vesey (out of all players) stuck it to his former team. As I’ve been stating for a few weeks, it’s time for Toronto to give Samsonov an extended run. [https://t.co/UeD0EHDVZ3](https://t.co/UeD0EHDVZ3)

The CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game is happening in Vancouver later tonight...

I like Gragicevic as a bit more of a long-term project, and I think he’ll be a menacing force one day. Once seen as a flashy forward with high offensive potential, Ritchie has played at under a point-per-game rate this year in Oshawa, catching everyone by surprise. Ad Advertisement If all goes well, the Leafs will have one of the last picks in the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville. But if you follow prospects, and you care about the team’s future, it’s worth keeping an eye on.

TORONTO - Mitch Marner scored 19 seconds into overtime as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the New York Ranger...

Filip Chytil had both goals for New York (26-14-8). Pontus Holmberg and Timothy Liljegren had the goals in regulation for Toronto (30-11-8). TORONTO — Mitch Marner scored 19 seconds into overtime as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the New York Rangers 3-2 on Wednesday night.

Another night, another Maple Leafs victory against a premier NHL netminder. Mitch Marner potted the OT winner while Ilya Samsonov made 27 stops to improve ...

Toronto took the opener of the season series also on home ice, 3-2, back on October 15th. Furthermore, there’s no question that was a cheeky play by Chytil to shoot right off the faceoff on the first goal to catch Samsonov flat-footed and off-guard. Don’t get me wrong, I completely comprehend what Toronto’s brand is, but my goodness, could someone even breath in Miller’s direction? The mic’d up reigning Hart Trophy winner was held pointless on the night, which marked the end of both his overall 10-game point streak and his 16-game home point streak. With an assist on Timothy Liljegren’s tying goal late in regulation, William Nylander picked up his 400th career point. Igor Shesterkin turned aside 32 shots in the loss.

Ilya Samsonov held the fort until the Leafs struck back late at Scotiabank Arena.

He was the first non-Leaf Toronto native to play his first game in the city since Kirk Tomlinson with the Minnesota North Stars on Feb. “Never be afraid to reach out to anyone whenever in need,” Marner said, adding that he has done so, including after he was the victim of a carjacking last summer. Great skill, great talent and he’s a character, leader guy. [Pontus Holmberg](https://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/players/1379887/stats) had staked the Leafs to an early 1-0 lead, Filip Chytil scored twice for the Rangers in the second period — one that came as a total surprise. At the end of his post-game media availability, Marner was asked about his support for Wednesday’s annual Bell Let’s Talk day to promote mental health awareness. The Leafs and Rangers played before more empty seats than normal because of Wednesday’s snowstorm. “Close game, a great battle with (Shesterkin),” Samsonov said, adding he finds extra motivation in facing the league’s best netminders. Chytil managed to get off a terrific shot after winning a faceoff, surprising Samsonov and just about everyone else in the rink. “I had my own little lane, so I took it.” His 14-0-1 home record is the [Skip Advertisement] 14 for Samsonov on home ice.

Maple Leafs centre Pontus Holmberg gave the Leafs an early 1-0 lead as he scored on the team's first shot of the game.

All indications were that Samsonov will be back in goal on Wednesday night when the Leafs play host to the New York Rangers.

The fact that for such a long period of time, it worked the other way, gives me confidence to flip it back if I need to. “Of late, things have not gone as well for both groups. The start on Wednesday will be Samsonov’s fourth in a row. Against the New York Islanders on Monday, Samsonov’s stretch pass to William Nylander resulted in a power-play goal by captain John Tavares. “Sammy, when he is feeling it, he is reading the play so well, you can just see it,” veteran Leafs defenceman Mark Giordano said after the club’s morning skate. Article content

Mitch Marner scored the winner at 19 seconds of overtime as the Maple Leafs edged the Rangers.

“Never be afraid to reach out, call someone, ask people how they are doing, we are all there for one another and we want this world to be a better place,” Marner said. You never know what is going to happen. Though the goalie appeared to be set, his stick was not on the ice and Chytil’s quick shot got under Samsonov’s right pad and into the net at 2:10. They were on top of us.” “There was not a whole lot happening for us. “We kept the game close enough to give ourselves a chance to stay with it,” Keefe said. “Nice game,” Samsonov said. “It’s nothing I’m celebrating or anything. “I think I feel a little more comfortable going down (deeper into the offensive zone), especially that time in a game where we were down one goal and needed a goal. Liljegren had helped the Leafs earn at least one point when he tied the game at 15:49 of the third. “Great job there by David (Kampf),” Marner said. Article content

Driving a 3-2 overtime victory at home over an engaged New York Rangers squad, Timothy Liljegren has emerged as an indispensable piece of the Toronto Maple ...

This season, the 20-year-old has 15 goals and 27 points through 26 games for the University of Minnesota Gophers. I mean, I haven't seen that in a long time,” Nylander said. And with his plus-2 night, Liljegren now leads all Maple Leafs with a plus-22 on the season. “I gotta give it to him. There's time to experiment, and things aren't humming with Morgan Rielly up top.) We're down one goal and need a goal, so try to get some more offence.” “I think I feel a little more comfortable going down (to the opponent’s net) and stuff like that now. “But, yeah, feels good.” Time for it to come, for sure. “But it took time. So do the underlying possession metrics. Sporting the same beard as 90 per cent of guys who exclusively drink limited-edition double IPA microbrews helps.

When Sheldon Keefe was putting his lineup together for the most important games of the Maple Leafs short playoff run last May, he didn't include Timothy ...

In less than a season Liljegren has gone from healthy scratch to indispensable. He may never be the kind of offensive defenceman he hoped to be when the Leafs drafted him in the first round of 2017. Brandon Carlo of the first-place Boston Bruins has played five more games and has the same goals against number. Play your 50 seconds, get off the ice, and stay out of trouble. A two-point night. Morgan Rielly hasn’t played to his usual level and gets scored on too often. And that’s where Liljegren is today. On Wednesday night against the top-heavy New York Rangers, Liljegren played almost 22 minutes. He wasn’t a defensive defenceman. It wasn’t expected. Keefe made a statement without having to explain himself — he just didn’t believe Liljegren was ready to compete at the highest level against the defending Stanley Cup champions. Article content

On the night he scored a spectacular overtime winner for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Marner turned the attention to "mental health day."

“It’s just weird atmosphere, it’s a weird vibe you get sometimes, it’s something that still kind of goes in your mind every once in a while when you’re getting in a car late [at] night or something,” Marner added. “Sometimes incidents happen that you need to express yourself and talk to people about and I think that’s something that I’ve really done a great job of these last couple years is not being afraid to reach out and talk about it, and just try to understand myself better.” just really weighs on you mentally if you don’t talk about it and don’t really express yourself,” Marner said.

Mitch Marner pulled off an incredible individual effort to seal the Maple Leafs 3-2 win over the Rangers on Wednesday.

William Nylander passed the player-of-the-game belt to Timothy Liljegren after Wednesday's overtime win.

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“Get him!!!” I'm sure plenty of Toronto Maple Leafs fans were screaming it at their televisions Wednesday night when New York Rangers defenseman K'Andre Miller ...

And yeah, the Leafs won the game. And I think that’s a weakness for the Maple Leafs. The Leafs didn’t have to take a retaliatory penalty. And the Leafs have yet to prove anything when the intensity ratchets up. And given he’s the reigning Hart Trophy winner, the Leafs need him on the ice. That’s a team that can bring the fire when called upon. And that word – embarrassing – is the best way to describe the Leafs’ response to Liljegren getting clobbered at center ice. Miller skated away without a care in the world. And then he completely let him off the hook. A big old nothingburger after a Toronto teammate was just sent flying into the boards at a terrible angle. Now I do think it’s worth noting that it appears Miller attempted to go shoulder-on-shoulder with the hit. Had his neck hit the top of the dasher it could have been catastrophic.

But seriously, what was Mika Zibanejad doing on that OT winner? Wha...

[https://t.co/uvEnShfFwr](https://t.co/uvEnShfFwr) [#ad](https://twitter.com/hashtag/ad?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [#pointsbetcanada](https://twitter.com/hashtag/pointsbetcanada?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [#SJSharks](https://twitter.com/hashtag/SJSharks?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [@PointsBetCanada](https://twitter.com/PointsBetCanada?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [https://t.co/GS3jthW472](https://t.co/GS3jthW472) [pic.twitter.com/1FpU9F8veU](https://t.co/1FpU9F8veU) [@TLNdc](https://twitter.com/TLNdc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [#LeafsForever](https://twitter.com/hashtag/LeafsForever?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [#LeafsForever](https://twitter.com/hashtag/LeafsForever?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [pic.twitter.com/15j8KnKntr](https://t.co/15j8KnKntr) [https://t.co/k1ZXogVZMH](https://t.co/k1ZXogVZMH) To kick off the show, we dove into the OT thriller —a back and forth affair. [@TLNdc](https://twitter.com/TLNdc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [@Jay_D_Rosehill](https://twitter.com/Jay_D_Rosehill?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [@ShaneOBrien55](https://twitter.com/ShaneOBrien55?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [@PointsBetCanada](https://twitter.com/PointsBetCanada?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw).. Additionally, Rosie gave some praise for Timothy Liljegren, who notched a goal and an assist.

Speaking about mental health brought Marner back to the carjacking incident he went through with his fiancée last summer and how it still impacts him.

“It was definitely a crazy day,” he said last July. Police said at the time that three suspects, armed with two handguns and a knife, fled in their Range Rover. “It is still something that kind of (enters) your mind every once in a while when you are getting into a car late at night or something. [Skip Advertisement] “Obviously, mental health is a big thing in this world nowadays in and outside of sports,” he said. But the Leafs star wasn’t done talking yet.

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe was full of praise for goaltender Ilya Samsonov after Wednesday's 3-2 overtime win over the New York Rangers.

He is scheduled for restricted free agency again this summer after signing a one-year deal with the Maple Leafs after going untendered by the Washington Capitals in 2022. "It was a nice game, a great battle with [Shesterkin]," Samsonov said after his 26-save performance against the Rangers. "It speaks a lot to his play and our team's play just the same, but this was another tough game for him. That stretch has included wins over playoff contenders in the Rangers, New York Islanders and Winnipeg Jets. Samsonov has held the Maple Leafs net since entering the team's Jan. He's now Jacques Plante for the second-longest home point streak in Maple Leafs history, four back of Harry Lumley and George Hainsworth who own the team record with 18.

The goalie's numbers: He is 16-4-2 with .921 save percentage, and on a one-year, $1.8-million US contract with the Maple Leafs.

“He was starting to really become a great defender, which I don’t think anyone would have said about him going into the draft. “Credit to him, because there were a lot of times when it was tough for him down in the AHL. Matt Murray has not played since he was pulled from a game against the Florida Panthers last Tuesday. “We really believed in him and his ability, but we needed to get his buy-in and we needed him to put in the work that’s necessary for him to find a stable foundation and consistency in his game. Given the way Samsonov has been performing, it’s easy to forget he became available last summer in free agency after the Washington Capitals didn’t give him a qualifying offer. Even Linus Ullmark of the Boston Bruins has experienced such a defeat at home, though he’s just behind Samsonov at 14-1-1.

While Samsonov is on course for franchise-record numbers at Scotiabank Arena, Matt Murray has been much better on the road and has playoff pedigree.

It was only a few years ago that Samsonov was being touted as Washington’s goaltender of the future. But among Leafs goaltenders who’ve played at least 10 home games in a season, you have to hark back to [Jacques Plante](https://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2009/10/11/pioneer_jacques_plante_revealed_at_last_in_biography.html) in 1971 to find one who put up a better save percentage on Toronto ice. Then again, things can change quickly in the goaltending business. [against the Florida Panthers](https://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/2023/01/17/william-nylander-ilya-samsonov-lead-leafs-to-overtime-win-over-panthers.html) on Jan. Sometimes maybe even when the puck doesn’t even get to the net, but it’s just, if it got to the net then he’s in perfect position. In seven post-season starts as a member of the Washington Capitals, he managed all of one win. Before that, he had been given a prestige start [against the league-leading Boston Bruins](https://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/opinion/2023/01/14/auston-matthews-eases-some-concerns-in-leafs-loss-to-bruins-its-all-about-the-playoffs-anyway.html) a few nights earlier, not to mention games against the division rival Tampa Bay Lightning and [defending champion Colorado Avalanche in late December.](https://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/opinion/2022/12/31/leafs-close-out-2022-with-a-mile-high-win-over-the-defending-champions.html) While Samsonov has struggled as a visitor, Murray’s .921 road save percentage ranks sixth in the league among goaltenders who’ve made at least 12 road appearances. [Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime win over the New York Rangers,](https://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/2023/01/25/leafs-weather-the-storm-marner-ot-marker-beats-rangers.html) Samsonov improved his record at Scotiabank Arena to 14-0-1. That was the season Lumley, fresh off winning a Vezina Trophy, finished second in Hart voting. And Samsonov now finds himself in the midst of authoring If the Leafs weren’t publicly declaring a preference between their new-this-season netminders, Murray, who’d been the opening-night starter, certainly looked as though he was emerging that guy.

Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner were reunited on the Leafs' top line during the second period of their 5-2 victory over the New York Islanders.

"When you start looking at it and you start looking at the list at the guys who have played in 1,000, it's not a huge list and it's a hard thing to do. "He stays true to himself in terms of his preparation and routines, how he takes care of himself, in the gym, his nutrition, his rest, all those things," Keefe said. He just has that self-confidence out there that he's in the right spots doing the right thing at the right time and that goes a long way." "The guy's been around a long time and it seems like he's played every game the same," observed Gallant. I guess we'll talk more and more as the season goes on, but as a player you want to be in that rhythm where you feel you're best during the games, so I got to find that." "You want to get into a good rhythm in the season. "For me, it's like part of a warm-up," said Giordano. "Morning skates like this you really want to put it on them in terms of what they need to have themselves ready," said Keefe. That's the type of impact they can have on our team in terms of really giving a boost and energizing the group." "He's ready and he's focused. "There's always room to grow for sure," Keefe said of the top-line connection. "When he's feeling it, he's reading the play so well," said Giordano.