Duhaime and Blueger Lift the Leafs Past the Rangers 5-4
Toronto got the better looks for most of the night, and that is why it edged New York 5-4. The finishing was not the main reason. The scoreboard nearly flipped anyway, because neither goalie bailed out his team.
The evidence is in the chances. Expected goals, which measure how many goals a team's chances were worth, had the Leafs at 3.08 and the Rangers at 2.10. Toronto also outshot New York 36-25.
In net, Dylan Garand allowed five goals on 36 shots and Sergei Bobrovsky allowed four on 25. Both gave up more than the chances deserved. The Rangers also hit the post twice, through J.T. Miller and Pavel Dorofeyev. Each of those looks was worth about half a goal, so a couple of bounces kept Toronto in front.
Brandon Duhaime had a goal and two assists playing with Teddy Blueger, who had a goal and an assist, and Zack MacEwen, who had two assists in about seven minutes. For New York, Adam Fox had four assists without a shot of his own. The Rangers are unbeaten at home but still searching for answers on the road.