Marner scores 19 seconds into OT, Maple Leafs rally past Rangers

TORONTO --Mitchell Marner scored 19 seconds into overtime, and the Toronto Maple Leafs rallied for a 3-2 win against the New York Rangers at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday.

Marner received a pass from Timothy Liljegren at the Toronto blue line before cutting across the top of the crease from the left wing and tucking the puck past an outstretched Igor Shesterkin.
"Timmy kind of took it up the ice, drew people towards him, dropped it back to me and I saw I had a lot of time and space," Marner said. "I tried to come over the blue line and decide what I was going to do, try to slow the play down and see if anything was going to open up, and I saw I had my own little lane and tried to take it."

Liljegren also scored, William Nylander had an assist for his 400th NHL point, and Ilya Samsonov made 27 saves for the Maple Leafs (30-11-8), who are 2-0-0 thus far on their season-high five-game homestand, including a 5-2 win against the New York Islanders on Monday.
"It was a nice game, a great battle with [Shesterkin]," Samsonov said. "It was a little bit bigger game for me than normal against Shesterkin, Ilya Sorokin (Islanders) and Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets, 4-1 win Jan. 19) too. Three good goalies. I'm happy we won; [it was a] hard game. Mitch [did] an excellent job in overtime, so [it's] nice."
Filip Chytil scored twice, and Shesterkin made 32 saves for the Rangers (26-14-8), who are 3-0-3 in their past six road games.
"They're a really good team," New York coach Gerard Gallant said. "They're really talented and when they're losing they're going to push, so they made a good play and they attacked and they got a goal. But no, I liked the game. I thought we played well in a tough building with a real good team against us. … I want the two points, but we'll take the one and run."
Liljegren tied it 2-2 at 15:49 of the third period, scoring glove side on a rebound from edge of the right face-off circle after getting the inside position on Rangers forward Chris Kreider.
"I think I feel a little bit more comfortable going down [in the zone] now," said Liljegren, a defenseman. "Especially that time in the game, we were down one goal and needed a goal, so try to get some more offense. In that period of time, if it's 2-2 maybe stay back a little bit, but I feel more confident in those areas."

Marner said he was impressed by Liljegren's ability to drop down from the point to generate the scoring chance.
"It was a great play," Marner said. "[It's] something we try and work on a lot, switching in and out between forwards and defense, and kind of finding those soft spots throughout the ice. 'Timmy' did a great job there. That's not an easy shot, that's not an easy goal, so kudos to him and great play reading the ice."
Pontus Holmberg gave Toronto a 1-0 lead at 2:27 of the first period when he received a pass from Joey Anderson in the neutral zone, got past the defense and scored on a backhand blocker side.
Chytil tied it 1-1 at 2:11 of the second period, scoring directly off an offensive-zone face-off from the left circle. He then gave New York a 2-1 lead at 6:31 on a one-timer after receiving a pass from Kaapo Kakko at the bottom of the right circle.
"I thought tonight was a really good effort," Rangers forward Jimmy Vesey said. "Maybe if we win the game 2-1, we are applauding our 60-minute effort and our defensive game. But in overtime, anything can happen.
"But for the most part, I thought our intensity and our checking was there. I'm not saying we didn't give them anything, but we held their top guys pretty much in check and overall, it was a hard-fought game tonight. Just a good hockey game so if we come out with two points, then we are talking about that as a really good measuring stick game."

Samsonov has started four consecutive games. He is 14-0-1 at home this season, tying Jacques Plante (1970-71) for the second-longest home point streak in Maple Leafs history. Harry Lumley (1953-54) and George Hainsworth (1933-34) are first (18 games).
"We believe in him and have high expectations, but nobody expects anybody to have a record like that. It's quite remarkable," Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said. "It speaks a lot to his play and our team's play just the same, but this was another tough game for him. The margin for error was pretty thin, and you've got an elite goaltender and a countryman of his down at the other end [in Shesterkin] -- not unlike he did against the Islanders the other night -- and I thought it both cases, he stood his ground and gave us [an] opportunity to win the game."
NOTES:Rangers forward Will Cuylle, selected in the second round (No. 60) in the 2020 NHL Draft, had four hits and was minus-1 in 5:49 of ice time in his NHL debut. He was called up from Hartford of the American Hockey League on Tuesday. ... Matthews' 10-game personal point streak ended (eight goals, five assists). ... Anderson was recalled Tuesday from Toronto of the AHL. ... Nylander has 400 points (163 goals, 237 assists) in 488 NHL games. He extended his point streak to five games (four goals, six assists).