3 most impressive Toronto Maple Leafs players from 2-1 OT win over New York Rangers ft. Anthony Stolarz

The Toronto Maple Leafs pulled out a tough 2-1 win over the New York Rangers on Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena.

The Leafs won their third game of the season on the strength of an Auston Matthew goal in the extra frame. Matthew Knies added the other tally for the Maple Leafs. Meanwhile, Juuso Parssinen scored for the Rangers, who snapped their longest scoring drought of the season.

So, here’s a look at the three most impressive Toronto Maple Leafs players from their overtime win over the New York Rangers on Thursday night.

3 most impressive Toronto Maple Leafs players from OT win over New York Rangers

#3 Matthew Knies

The Toronto Maple Leafs opened the scoring in the first period with their first power play goal of the season courtesy of Matthew Knies. The Leafs moved the puck well around the Rangers’ zone, but ultimately, it was a pass from William Nylander that hit Knies’ stick and in the net.

Here’s a look at the goal:

The goal was Knies’ second of the season. The tally held up until the third period when the Rangers came back to tie the game. Knies played over 20 minutes across 22 shifts. He ended the night with four shots on goal.

#2 Auston Matthews

The Toronto Maple Leafs captain got the game-winner in overtime. But his overall great play wasn’t limited to just getting the winning goal. His great defensive play matched up very well against the Rangers top players like J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad.

Here’s a look at the game-winning tally:

The play started with a blocked shot in the Leafs’ zone. Blueliner Morgan Rielly got the puck up to Matthews who led a 2-on-1 with Nylander. Nylander made a nifty move to evade a sprawling Adam Fox, then dished to Matthews for the tap in.

Matthews ended the night with over 22 minutes of ice time across 25 shifts. He notched two shots on goal and was 12-7 in the faceoff circle.

#1 Anthony Stolarz

On any other night, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ most impressive player would have been Auston Matthews. But on Thursday night, it was Anthony Stolarz. The Toronto netminder was brilliant.

Stolarz stopped 28 of 29 shots, making several outstanding saves along the way. Here’s an interesting sequence:

Stolarz stopped two shots on the doorstep before his mask came off. The play continued with Stolarz making another brilliant pad save on a point shot. Stolarz ultimately stole the game for Toronto, buying them enough time to win the contest.

The Maple Leafs will be back in action on Saturday night as they host the Seattle Kraken at Scotiabank Arena.

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Edited by Nestor Quixtan