Maple Leafs 4, Rangers 2
Jonas Gustavsson turned aside 30 shots as the Toronto Maple Leafs upended host New York 4-2 Monday, ending the Rangers' five-game winning streak.
Gustavsson was sharp all game long, especially in the third period with the Rangers pressing for the equalizer. It's just the second regulation loss for the Rangers at Madison Square Garden this season, with both coming against Toronto.
After Cody Franson gave Toronto the lead with the lone goal of the first period, Connolly doubled the lead 5:12 into the second period. The veteran center jammed home a loose puck after teammate Matt Frattin muscled the puck to the front of the goal following an offensive zone faceoff.
Joffrey Lupul made it 3-0 less than two minutes later before the Rangers stormed back with a pair of goals to trim the deficit. Artem Anisimov banged home a rebound from point-blank range at the 13-minute mark, and Marian Gaborik made it 3-2 by converting a Derek Stepan pass from in close with the Rangers on a power play.
Ryan Callahan had a glorious chance to draw New York even just past the midway point of the third, but his shot from the low slot flew over the net.
The Rangers continued to put pressure on Toronto, but the momentum swung in the Leafs' favor after defenseman Dion Phaneuf crushed New York's Michael Sauer with a body check near the benches.
New York's last-ditch effort on a last-minute power play fell short, and David Steckel put the game away with an empty netter.