Rangers blow game in final seconds in latest road loss to Maple Leafs

TORONTO — The Rangers never quite had a grasp on this game against the Maple Leafs.Despite their ability to keep pace for a majority of the contest, any time the Blueshirts had a chance to assert themselves a defensive lapse or a juicy rebound ended up in the back of their net on the way to a 5-4 loss Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mollie Walker about the inside buzz on the Rangers.

Even after Alexis Lafrenière evened the score at 4-all with just over five and a half minutes left in regulation, the Rangers gave up a goal to Troy Stecher with seconds left in regulation.It was a fast-paced, back-and-forth affair that saw the Maple Leafs poke holes in the Rangers structure and capitalize on a green goaltender.In his sixth consecutive start, rookie netminder Dylan Garand struggled mightily with rebound control.He ultimately stopped 31 of the 36 shots he faced in his fourth loss of the season, but the 24-year-old faltered in the face of Toronto’s high-octane offense.The emotions of the last month and the increased workload could very well be weighing on him.A couple of those pucks never reach Garand, however, if the Rangers keep Toronto out of the middle of their zone.

The Maple Leafs were able to bulldoze into the dangerous areas of the ice without much pushback from the visitors, resulting in point-blank shots that produced long rebounds with no Rangers jerseys to be found to contest.The Rangers have taken significant strides with their defensive structure, but this was an opposing club with high star power and skill that exposed its weaknesses.Just over a minute and a half into the game, a bad Rangers change led to Toronto’s first goal of the evening.Pavel Dorofeyev and Tye Kartye skated right for the visitor’s bench as the puck was passed to Jake McCabe in the neutral zone.McCabe quickly passed it up to Easton Cowan, who split Sean Durzi and Marcus Petters...