By Canadian Press

Vesey scores twice as Rangers down Maple Leafs 3-1

Dec 15, 2022 | 7:55 PM

NEW YORK (AP) — Jimmy Vesey had two goals, Igor Shesterkin made 22 saves and the New York Rangers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 on Thursday night for their fifth straight win.

Vesey snapped a tie with 4:27 left in the second period. He added an empty-netter with 1:13 remaining for his fifth of the season.

Filip Chytil also scored for New York, and Vincent Trocheck had two assists.

Toronto lost in regulation for the first time since Nov. 11. It went 12-0-3 in its previous 15 games. The Maple Leafs also had recorded a point in nine straight road games, including seven wins.

Vesey, who won a job with the Rangers out of training camp, skated down the right wing before flipping a high wrist shot past Toronto goaltender Matt Murray in the second.

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Vesey played three seasons for the Rangers out of Harvard before skating for four other teams, including New Jersey last season.

Michael Bunting had Toronto’s lone goal. Murray made 18 stops.

Shesterkin improved to 5-0-1 in his last six starts and 15-4-4 overall this season. He denied Mitchell Marner at 14:29 of the third, ultimately stopping Marner’s point streak at 23 games.

Chytil opened the scoring for New York, netting his seventh on a power play 3:52 into the game. He rifled a high shot past Murray.

Bunting responded with his seventh at 14:06, tapping a rebound past Shesterkin. Bunting extended his point streak to 10 games.

The brisk pace continued in the second as both goaltenders made sterling saves.

Murray denied a shot from the high slot by Artemi Panarin seven minutes in. Shesterkin stopped Auston Matthews’ point-blank shot midway through the period.

Toronto had a flurry of chances during a man advantage late in the second but couldn’t solve Shesterkin.

The Rangers goaltender stopped Zach Aston-Reese five minutes into the third, sparking chants of “Igor! Igor!” from the Garden crowd, and then smothered a close-in shot by Toronto captain John Tavares at 12:16 of the third.

Toronto was coming off three home wins — a 7-0 thrashing of Anaheim on Tuesday after victories over Calgary and Los Angeles.

Following a stretch of one win in six games, the Rangers started their win streak against St. Louis on Dec. 5, and then defeated Vegas and Colorado on the road before rallying past the New Jersey Devils in overtime on Monday.

WORTH NOTING

Defenseman Ben Harpur played his first game for the Rangers since he was recalled from the minors on Dec. 3. … Forward Vitali Kravtsov returned after being a healthy scratch the past three games as the Rangers scratched forward Sammy Blais — who has yet to score in 27 games — and defenseman Libor Hajek. … Toronto scratched forward Wayne Simmonds and defenseman Jordie Benn.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.

Maple Leafs: Visit the Washington Capitals on Saturday.

Allan Kreda, The Associated Press