Rangers 4, Maple Leafs 2
TORONTO -- Center Derek Stepan scored late in the third period and the New York Rangers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 on Thursday night.
Center Derick Brassard added two goals for New York, one into an empty net. Center Mats Zuccarello also scored for the Rangers (33-19-6), who bounced back from a loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday, and added two assists.
Center Colin Greening tied the game for Toronto late in the third period and right winger Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau scored in the first period for the Maple Leafs (20-27-9).
The Maple Leafs lost center Leo Komarov late in the first period when he was given match penalty for an elbow to the head of Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who was kept out of the remainder of the game for precautionary reasons.
Goaltender Jonathan Bernier stopped 16 shots in the Toronto goal.
Rangers goaltender Antti Raanta made 35 saves, some of them superb.
The Maple Leafs failed to score on five attempts on the power play.
The Maple Leafs tied the game at 17:30 of the third period after a scramble around the Rangers' net on the first goal of the season by Greening.
The Rangers came right back with a goal from Stepan, his 13th of the season, at 18:29 on a blast from the left faceoff circle on a pass from Zuccarello.
Brassard scored on an empty net at 19:40, his 22nd goal of the season. Zuccarello picked up an assist.
The Maple Leafs grabbed the lead at 3:58 of the first period on Parenteau's 15th goal of the season as he stuffed in a rebound with a backhand from the side of the net. Defensemen Martin Marincin and Viktor Loov, playing in his first NHL game, earned assists.
Raanta, playing in his 14th game of the season, made several good saves to keep the Leafs from increasing the lead in the first.
Toronto outshot New York 13-6 in the first after having a 9-2 edge. The Leafs also hit a crossbar.
The Rangers had a two-man power-play advantage after Maple Leafs center Nick Spaling took a four-minute high-sticking penalty at 3:32 of the second period.
Brassard tied the game with his 21st goal of the season 24 seconds later on a blast from the top of the right faceoff circle.
The Rangers took a 2-1 lead at 9:24 of the second on the 20th goal of the season by Zuccarello. His shot after a rebound hit Bernier's leg pad and a video review determined that the puck had completely crossed the line before hitting the pad and bouncing out into the crease.
NOTES: Toronto G Jonathan Bernier started Thursday and played in his 200th NHL game. ... Toronto recalled D Viktor Loov from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League on an emergency basis and he made his NHL debut on Thursday. He replaced D Matt Hunwick (undisclosed injury), who was a late scratch. ... Rangers D Marc Staal returned Thursday after missing the 5-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday to be with his wife, Lindsay, when she gave birth to a daughter. The loss was the first for the Rangers at home since Dec. 20. ...The Maple Leafs were playing their first home game since Feb. 4 after a 1-4-0 trip, allowing a total of 24 goals. ... The Rangers' next game will be Sunday when they are home to the Detroit Red Wings. ...The Maple Leafs are home to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.