Rangers 2, Maple Leafs 1 (SO)
Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan scored in the first two rounds of the shootout and rookie Cam Talbot denied Nazem Kadri in the third as New York skated to its second straight victory to conclude its franchise-high nine-game homestand.
Zuccarello's wrist shot sailed over the glove of Jonathan Bernier (42 saves) before Stepan's bid beat the netminder over the blocker. Joffrey Lupul answered in the second but Talbot (25 saves) closed his pads on Kadri's wrist shot in the third to improve to 8-2-0 this season.
J.T. Miller scored in the third period and Benoit Pouliot notched an assist to extend his point streak to five games. Chris Kreider also had an assist as the Rangers posted consecutive wins for the first time since Nov. 21-23 and finished their lengthy homestand with a 3-4-2 mark.
Kadri scored his 11th goal with 1:24 remaining in the third period for the Maple Leafs, who fell to 2-5-2 in their last nine games overall and have dropped 10 of 11 on the road (1-6-4).
After Toronto's Nikolai Kulemin hit the post early in the third period, New York finally broke through with consistent pressure in the offensive end. Kreider skated behind the net and found a streaking Miller, who raced off the bench and sailed a one-timer past a screened Bernier for his second goal of the season. The slim advantage stood up until Kadri poked home a puck that Talbot thought had been iced long enough to draw a whistle.
GAME NOTEBOOK: New York G Henrik Lundqvist acknowledged prior to the game that he wasn't surprised Talbot received back-to-back starts given the way the rookie was playing. "I expected he'd get another start," Lundqvist told NHL.com. "It's about winning and this team getting points and he's doing really well. I have to push myself to get better and help the team get points in order to get more starts." ... New York D Ryan McDonagh nearly snapped a scoreless draw 5 1/2 minutes into the second period as his shot from the point rang off the post. The Rangers continued the pressure and enjoyed a 22-5 edge in shots in the session, establishing their high-water mark in any period this season. ... Pouliot has collected two goals and three assists on his point streak.