TORONTO — The Rangers did not flinch at their first top-tier opponent on the schedule.
The jump in competition may have been apparent, but it hardly mattered for a Blueshirts team that has resembled a speeding locomotive to start the season.
To remain undefeated in regulation through the first five games, the Rangers took a 4-1 win over the Maple Leafs on Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena.
“I thought it was a really good win,” head coach Peter Laviolette said. “Against a good team in Toronto, it’s never an easy thing to do.”
Chris Kreider (left) scores on Anthony Stolarz for the first of his two goals in the Rangers’ 4-1 win over the Maple Leafs on Oct. 19, 2024.
Not to diminish the Rangers’ convincing 4-0-1 start to the season, but averaging five goals a game through their first four contests may have been more indicative of the players and goalies on the other side of the ice.
When it came down to needing a more complete game against a more complete opponent, however, the Rangers delivered behind two goals from the top six and a stellar 34-save performance from goalie Igor Shesterkin.
The Maple Leafs, riding a three-game win streak entering the game, counted as the first playoff team from last season the Rangers have faced thus far.
Saturday also made it three straight road wins to start the season, just the third time the Rangers have done so and the first time in nearly a century (1931-32 season).
And yet, Laviolette opted to make two personnel changes despite two dominant wins over the Red Wings earlier in the week.
Putting Matt Rempe back in on the fourth line in place of Jonny Brodzinski and sending Chad Ruhwedel out to make his season debut instead of Zac Jones, Laviolette got a good look at his D pair options with Ryan Lindgren expected to return from injured reserve in the near future.
Alexis Lafreniere (center) accepts congratulations from Victor Mancini (left) and Vincent Trocheck after scoring a first-period tally in the Rangers’ win.
Laviolette is toying with his lineup, and the Rangers are still winning.
That’s a luxury for any team, but especially the Rangers, who are clearly playing the long game.
With Ruhwedel in, the Rangers deployed five right-hand shot defensemen for the first time since a 4-3 loss to the Jets on Feb. 26, 2013.
The circumstances were a little different, considering Ryan McDonagh and Michael Del Zotto were both hurt at that time.
Going with that alignment was a coaching decision from Laviolette, who will have to make a judgment call regarding his defense corps when Lindgren is healthy.
Igor Shesterkin makes a nifty glove save for one of his 34 stops in the Rangers’ win.
To keep Victor Mancini, a righty rookie, and risk losing Ruhwedel or Jones on waivers on the way to Hartford, or stick with the veterans.
When you’re winning games regardless of personnel, it makes it a lot easier to weigh these options early in the season.
“I thought he was good, I thought he played a good game,” Laviolette said of his impressions of Mancini on his offside on the left. “Made a nice play to get an assist on the first goal, just by pulling it from backhand to forehand, getting that puck in there.”
The Rangers didn’t have the puck a lot through the first five minutes of the game, but they recorded the first handful of quality scoring chances and suddenly began to stabilize.
Toronto goalie Anthony Stolarz was forced to make a couple big saves, including one on Chris Kreider on the doorstep and Mika Zibanejad’s follow of a rebound. It was at this moment the uptick in competition was abundantly clear.
Still, it wasn’t enough to slow down Alexis Lafreniere.
The 2020 top-overall pick collected a rebound, patiently held onto the puck and then deposited it under Stolarz’s glove to extend his point streak to five games.
Kreider then made it a 2-0 game less than halfway through the middle frame, when the longest tenured Ranger buried a slick feed from Zibanejad at the side of the Maple Leafs net.
Zibanejad said he knows Kreider is going to be there.
New York Rangers defenseman Chad Ruhwedel (5) celebrates with center Vincent Trocheck (16) after left wing Alexis Lafreniere (13) (not pictured) scored a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the first period at Scotiabank Arena.
The Maple Leafs made a significant push in the third period, during which they poured a game-high 18 shots on Shesterkin.
Toronto captain Auston Matthews broke through to avoid the shutout, but the equalizer never came before Kreider and Artemi Panarin added empty-netters.
“You don’t want to say that you’re used to it, but he’s such a big part of our team, same with [Jonathan Quick],” Zibanejad said of Shesterkin. “He gives us a chance to win every night.”
