Opening Night Thriller: Maple Leafs squeeze by Rangers 8-5

The Toronto Maple Leafs last night reminded everyone that they are still the loveable, young team that is susceptible to the occasional slip up. The Maple Leafs who jumped out to an early 5-1 lead in the first period against the New York Rangers saw their lead slip away by the end of the second period as the two teams entered the third tied at five a piece. Luckily for the Leafs, their veteran players were able to bail them out as Tyler Bozak, Leo Komarov, and Nazem Kadri were able to break the tie in the third period which led to the Maple Leafs coming away with a 8-5 win.

The Toronto Maple Leafs continued their trend of dominant first periods to start the 2017-2018 season as by the time expired on the first frame, the Leafs had combined for 8 goals (5 last night) in their first two opening periods to start the season.

While the Leafs mustered eight-goals, no one individual player really took over offensively. The offensive depth of Toronto was on full display last night, as only five of the 18 players who started last night did not record a point in the outing.

While the Maple Leafs penalty kill proved to be a huge asset in game number one against the Winnipeg Jets, it was not doing them many favours last night. The New York Rangers went an excellent two-for-three on the man advantage which was a key factor as to why the Rangers were able to climb back in the game after falling behind so soon.

For the second time in two games this season, the Maple Leafs chased the opposing teams starter out of the net. Henrik Lundqvist would not see the second period as he finished up the first allowing five goals on 17 shots. The King was the recipient of the patented Bronx Cheer when he corralled the puck

after he letting in his fifth goal. Ondrej Pavelec entered the game as his replacement and allowed three goals on 24 shots.

With the win, the Toronto Maple Leafs improve their record to 2-0-0 on the season, and remain undefeated through the first two games of the regular season. For the Rangers, the loss sends them to 0-2-0, which makes them the only team in the Eastern Conference which has yet to record a point so far this season

The Toronto Maple Leafs next game is Monday, October 9th, 7:00 PM as the team plays host to the Chicago Blackhawks. For the New York Rangers, they do battle Sunday, October 8th, 7:00 PM on the road against Montreal.

Toronto Maple Leafs Goal Scorers

Zach Hyman (2)

Dominic Moore

Jake Gardiner

Nikita Zaitsev

Tyler Bozak

Leo Komarov

Nazem Kadri

New York Rangers Goal Socrers

J.T Miler

Kevin Shattenkirk

Mika Zibanejad

Marc Staal

Mats Zuccarello