Marner dazzles with stunning OT winner as Leafs beat Rangers
Posted January 25, 2023 9:53 pm.
Last Updated January 25, 2023 10:03 pm.
Mitch Marner scored the game-winning goal 19 seconds into overtime as the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the New York Rangers 3-2 on Wednesday.
Marner’s 18th goal of the season came seconds after the opening faceoff as he entered the Rangers zone, waited for a moment, rushed towards the net and fired home the winning goal as he fell. It was Marner’s fourth game-sealing goal of the year.
OH MY MARNER ‼️
Mitch Marner scores a beauty of a @SUBWAYCanada OT winner for the Maple Leafs! pic.twitter.com/7tzVn8j39U
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 26, 2023
Maple Leafs centre Pontus Holmberg gave the Leafs an early 1-0 lead as he scored on the team’s first shot of the game.
After the Rangers scored two-straight goals to give New York a 2-1 lead heading into the third period, Maple Leafs defenceman Timothy Liljegren tied it up with just over four minutes left, scoring his fourth goal of the season.
Liljegren had the primary assist on Marner’s winning goal. John Tavares, William Nylander, Alex Kerfoot and Joey Anderson also had assists for Toronto. Rangers centre Filip Chytil had two goals for New York.
Maple Leafs goalie Ilya Samsonov stopped 26 of 28 shots as he improved to 15-4-2 on the season. Samsonov now sports an impressive 14-0 regulation record at Scotiabank Arena, with his only loss coming against the St. Louis Blues in the shootout on Jan. 3, 2023.
It was Samsonov’s fourth-straight start for Toronto, as he’s gone 4-1 in his last five appearances. His season-long save percentage is .920, tied for seventh-best in the NHL among qualified goalies.
Toronto improved to 30-11-8 on the season and sits seven points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning for second in the Atlantic Division, 12 points back of the surging Boston Bruins. Toronto’s 68 points are the second-highest total in the NHL.
