Maple Leafs vs. Rangers: Troy Stecher's Late Winner Caps a Fourth-Line Takeover in a 5-4 Toronto Win

The arm went up for a delayed penalty, the Maple Leafs kept the puck, and Morgan Rielly slid it over to Troy Stecher at the top of the right circle. Stecher, a defenseman still looking for his first goal of the season in his 12th game, picked the spot over Dylan Garand's glove with 28 seconds left in regulation. That was the ballgame.

That goal gave the Toronto Maple Leafs a 5-4 win over the New York Rangers on Thursday night, their third straight victory. According to NHL.com, it was Toronto's latest go-ahead goal since Nov. 13, 2021. Brandon Duhaime had a goal and two assists, Toronto's fourth line piled up seven points, and Sergei Bobrovsky earned his 459th career win.

A Track Meet From the Opening Draw

This one was wide open from the start. Jake McCabe hit Easton Cowan with a lead pass at the offensive blue line 1:36 in, and Cowan went in alone and lifted a shot over Garand's glove for his fifth goal. Mika Zibanejad answered at 5:39 by deflecting a Vladislav Gavrikov point shot, with Adam Fox picking up the first of his four assists.

Then the fourth line showed up. At 10:01, Duhaime fed Teddy Blueger at the top of the crease and Blueger redirected it between Garand's pads, with Zack MacEwen adding an assist. It was Blueger's first point of the season, in his 12th game.

The Second Period Chaos

Four goals in the second, and the lead changed hands like a hot potato. Justin Dowling drove the net and forced a rebound off Bobrovsky's pad, and Oliver Bjorkstrand buried it from the slot at 2:37 to tie it. Bjorkstrand had scored twice on Monday against Anaheim, so he is feeling it. At 6:30, Tye Kartye tipped a Fox shot from above the right circle while tangled up with Kirill Marchenko in the slot, and the Rangers led 3-2.

Duhaime evened it at 8:00, chasing down his own rebound in the slot and roofing it over Garand's blocker. Then Alexis Lafreniere went off for hooking late in the period, and Toronto made it count just before intermission. Marchenko drove down the slot and jammed his own rebound between Garand's pads at 19:09, with Gavin McKenna and William Nylander assisting. Toronto led 4-3 after 40 minutes.

Lafreniere Ties It, Stecher Wins It

The Rangers kept coming. At 14:25 of the third, Lafreniere fired from the blue line through traffic and beat Bobrovsky on the blocker side for his eighth goal of the season, with Fox and Zibanejad assisting. For a while, it looked like this one was headed to overtime.

Then came Stecher. NHL.com noted Toronto claimed the defenseman off waivers from Edmonton on Nov. 15, 2025, and he finished with 20:17 of ice time and two blocked shots to go with the winner.

"Just a complete group effort tonight," Stecher said. "Felt like everybody contributed tonight."

The Fourth Line Steals the Show

Duhaime, Blueger and MacEwen combined for two goals and five assists. Duhaime had a goal, two assists and five hits in 14:14, Blueger had a goal and an assist, and MacEwen had two assists in just 7:06 of ice time.

"Everybody always loves it when those guys get rewarded with goals and points because they do the dirty work, blocking shots, getting forechecks going," Toronto coach Jim Hiller said.

Bobrovsky was not sharp, stopping 21 of 25 shots for an .840 save percentage, but the win was historic. NHL.com said the 459th victory tied Henrik Lundqvist for sixth all-time, and the AP noted it also tied Lundqvist for the most wins by a non-North American goalie. "Just a Hall of Fame career from 'Bob,' it's pretty special to see firsthand," Duhaime said.

For New York, Fox had four assists in 23:59 and finished a plus-4. It was his third career four-assist game, and per NHL.com, only Brian Leetch (six) and Brad Park (five) can match or beat that among Rangers defensemen. Zibanejad had a goal and an assist, and Garand made 30 saves on 35 shots.

Turning Point: The Delayed Call

Both teams had chances to grab control in the third, and New York's lone power play, after Jack Roslovic tripped Lafreniere at 9:15, came up empty. The game turned on the final whistle that never came. With a penalty coming to the Rangers, Toronto kept possession long enough for Rielly to find the open defenseman, and Stecher did not miss.

Fox was frank about how the Rangers lost it. "It was a little sloppy execution and not getting at least a point, letting one up late definitely hurts," he said.

Stats That Matter

• 35-25: Toronto's edge in shots.
• 16-6: Toronto's edge in blocked shots. The Leafs paid the price in front of their own net.
• 34-19: New York's edge in hits.
• 7: Points for Toronto's fourth line (two goals, five assists).
• 459: Bobrovsky's career wins, tying Lundqvist.

What It Means

Toronto improves to 6-4-2 with 14 points, has won three straight and is 4-3-1 at home. Hiller loved it. "That was probably our best game of the year through 60 minutes for me," he said. NHL.com reported defenseman Marshall Rifai went on injured reserve with a lower-body injury from Tuesday's win in Columbus, and Hiller called him week to week. The Leafs visit Edmonton on Saturday.

The Rangers fall to 7-4-1 with 15 points and are 1-2-1 in their past four. The split is wild: New York is 6-0-0 at home and 1-4-1 on the road. Coach Mike Sullivan was not happy. "I thought it was a loose game, high event. Not the kind of game we want to play," he said. New York plays at Ottawa on Saturday.

Character Actors Steal the Movie

Every blockbuster has the stars on the poster, and then the character actors who quietly steal every scene. Toronto's fourth line and a waiver-claim defenseman were the character actors here, and they walked away with the reviews.

Stecher put it plainly: "It wasn't pretty the whole way through but we stuck with it and that's what we are going to take."

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details from the Associated Press and NHL.com; postgame quotes as reported by NHL.com.