Rangers Snap Home Drought in 6-2 Win Over Maple Leafs

New York Rangers forward Alexis Lafreniere scored the go-ahead goal on a deflection early in the third period, leading his team to a 6-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. The win marked the Rangers' first regulation victory at home in more than three months, snapping a drought that had plagued their season.

The game began with Toronto striking first, as forward Matias Maccelli scored just 13 seconds into the opening period to give the Maple Leafs a 1-0 lead. New York responded quickly, with Will Cuylle tipping in a shot from defenseman Braden Schneider to tie the score at 1-1 later in the first. The second period saw Toronto regain the advantage when Easton Cowan netted a goal about 5 1/2 minutes in, making it 2-1. The Rangers answered on the power play roughly two minutes later, as defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov converted a long rebound for his 11th goal of the season, leveling the game once more.

The third period proved decisive for New York, which erupted for four unanswered goals. Lafreniere's tally at the 5:28 mark put the Rangers ahead 3-2, followed shortly by rookie Jaroslav Chmelar's first career NHL goal on an odd-man rush...