Rangers eliminated from playoff contention after loss to Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs eliminated the New York Rangers from playoff contention with a 4-3 victory Wednesday night, according to The Associated Press. Dakota Joshua led Toronto with a goal and an assist, while Joseph Woll made 40 saves and picked up his first NHL point with an assist.

Jake McCabe, Nick Robertson, and John Tavares scored the other goals for Toronto. Matias Maccelli added two assists in the win.

Woll’s assist on Joshua’s goal marked a milestone for the goaltender.

For New York, Mika Zibanejad scored twice and Alexis Lafreniere had a goal and two assists. Igor Shesterkin stopped 14 shots, while Adam Fox contributed two assists.

The loss officially ends New York’s playoff hopes. The Rangers will finish below the postseason cutline for a second straight season and sit second-to-last in the overall standings.

Toronto ranks 21st and is headed toward missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Tavares sealed the victory with his 26th goal of the season at 11:57 of the third period. He ripped a shot past Shesterkin to make it 4-2 after Toronto had built a 3-0 lead in the second period.

HOLY SHH—NIPE, MR.TAVARES! @OREO | #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/klDi4Wade3

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 26, 2026

Adam Sykora made his NHL debut for New York after being recalled from the Hartford Wolf Pack. The 21-year-old winger was selected 63rd overall in the 2022 draft.

He had 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points in 62 AHL games this season.

Toronto’s William Nylander sits one point away from surpassing his father Michael for family bragging rights. The younger Nylander has 679 points in 741 regular-season games, while his father registered 679 points in 920 contests.

New York had struggled with shot generation recently. The Rangers managed just 10 shots in Monday’s 2-1 home loss to Ottawa, tying a franchise record for futility.

They improved Wednesday with 14 shots in the opening period and 17 more in the second.