This one lived up to expectations. In a highly entertaining game that had plenty of excitement for fans, the Rangers fell in a shootout 4-3 to the Maple Leafs in Toronto.

The third and final regular season meeting was one to savor. It took place on Hockey Night In Canada. The biggest stage on a Saturday night up north.

A battle between two good teams that are playoff bound provided a unique combination of goal scoring, goaltending, hitting, and a heavyweight bout. It also included a wild three-on-three in overtime. Perhaps that’s the part when the Rangers should’ve won the game.

Instead, Leafs goalie Ilya Samsonov made five saves, including a theft on Adam Fox, when it looked like he had the winning goal. Samsonov made 32 saves and stopped three of four Rangers shooters to pick up the victory.

It was some retribution for a goalie who at one point was sent down to the American Hockey League (AHL) due to his struggles. Somehow, he wasn’t worthy of a star from the media who watched (allegedly).

Neither was Alexis Lafreniere, who was clearly the best player for the Rangers on Saturday night. He only scored his 18th goal and set up two others, including Vincent Trocheck’s tying goal that came with 67 seconds (1967?) left in regulation.

His second three-point game of the season allowed Lafreniere to match his career high in points (39) set last year. He continues to play with a lot of confidence. The former 2020 top pick is playing the best hockey of his career.

In the early going, the Leafs looked to get the jump on the Rangers in front of their home crowd. A near miss from the league’s leading goalscorer, Auston Matthews, came close to giving them the lead.

Igor Shesterkin would also make a key save on Tyler Bertuzzi. He had another good game, finishing with 31 saves on 34 shots. Unfortunately, Shesterkin couldn’t stop Mitch Marner in the third round of the shootout. He was then beaten by Max Domi in the fourth round. Samsonov then watched as Trocheck’s shot hit the far goalpost and stayed out.

After successfully killing off a Jacob Trouba high-sticking minor, the Rangers grabbed the lead with less than nine minutes left in the first period. On a good drop pass from Fox to Lafreniere, he ripped a shot that made a distinct sound.

The puck came back out into play. Initially, it wasn’t ruled a goal. However, the officials quickly got together and realized the puck hit off the post and crossed the goal line. Lafreniere’s 18th of the season put the Rangers ahead.

Following that came some penalties. Mika Zibanejad drew a tripping call on Timothy Liljegren. But fourteen seconds later, Trocheck clearly knocked down Calle Jarnkrok to go off for interference, negating the power play. With the Leafs on a man-advantage, Simon Benoit interfered with Barclay Goodrow at center ice to get whistled.

Despite the Leafs coming close, they didn’t beat Shesterkin in the first period. He stopped a dozen shots. The Rangers took the one-goal lead to the locker room.

The second period was played more to the Leafs’ style. A bit more wide open, it favored the freewheeling Leafs, who love to use their speed and skill to drive play.

Interestingly enough, they drew even on a fluky play. In a battle near the boards, Marner was able to get free from Ryan Lindgren. He then moved in and got ready to shoot. But he fanned on his initial attempt. With Erik Gustafsson, Will Cuylle, and Shesterkin anticipating a shot, Marner retrieved the puck and then cut in and scored his 24th goal at 3:54.

Over a minute later, Gustafsson broke up a Leafs’ rush and cleared the zone. The puck came right to Artemi Panarin at center ice. He quickly turned it into a three-on-two rush. Panarin moved the puck to Lafreniere, who then passed across for a quick Trocheck one-timer that beat Samsonov to give the Rangers their second lead.

The Leafs answered back over three minutes later. On a sustained forecheck, Jake McCabe and Domi worked the puck back up to William Nylander. He then fired a wrist shot that changed direction off Gustafsson past Shesterkin with Domi in front. Nylander’s 33rd tied the game with 11:06, remaining in the second.

Less than a minute later, out came Matt Rempe for a shift. He made an immediate impact by delivering a thunderous check on Leafs defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin. He struggled back to the bench, where it was obvious that he needed to go to the locker room.

The reaction to Rempe’s big hit was both shock and exasperation from the pro Leafs contingent. Replays showed that he left his feet. The refs missed an obvious charge on Rempe. He would be made accountable for his actions later by Ryan Reaves.

A couple of shifts later, Matthews missed on a great opportunity to give the Leafs the lead. He got another chance, but Shesterkin stopped him on a backhand. Matthews is always dangerous when he’s on the ice. The Rangers dodged one.

Late in the period, with the Rangers shorthanded, Fox got a great opportunity. On a back pass, he seemed to have Samsonov down and out. Instead, he shot the puck into him and then looked on in astonishment. It was that kind of night for Fox. He played a good game, tallying two assists. But he easily could’ve had a couple of goals.

With the game still tied in the third period, Samsonov made a couple of key stops on Panarin. On the other side, Shesterkin reached out to deny Tavares twice.

Jonny Brodzinski then absorbed a big Reaves hit that almost led to the Rangers coming down and going back up. But Jacob Trouba’s shot was saved by Samsonov, who covered up. Samsonov would also make a tough stop on a Chris Kreider deflection of a Fox shot pass. He also later denied Jimmy Vesey on a breakaway.

With the game still tied, the Leafs went ahead. It wasn’t without controversy. Prior to Morgan Rielly and Jarnkrok combining to set up a rebound for Tavares to put in, Kaapo Kakko was taken down. It was an obvious trip that was missed. Instead, play continued. The Rangers’ inability to clear the puck cost them. They trailed by one with 12:43 left in the third period.

On the next shift, a dangerous Lafreniere fired a shot just wide. He was very noticeable throughout the game. As good as his chemistry is with Panarin and Trocheck, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette might want to consider moving Lafreniere up to play with the struggling Zibanejad and Kreider. They couldn’t muster anything playing with the miscast Kakko, who’s a much better fit with Brodzinski and Will Cuylle on the third line.

After a close call for the Leafs with Tavares hitting the post, it was time for Rempe to accept Reaves’ challenge. That came with 5:59 remaining. The two paired off and exchanged rights in a good scrap. Reaves did his trademark raising of the arms while Rempe gave a salute. It was entertaining.

As good as that was, the Rangers were running out of time. Following a Zibanejad blank that missed its intended target (the advertisement?), Marner flipped a soft backhand clear towards the empty net. It came oh so close to going in but instead grazed the left goalpost for an icing.

That set the stage for Trocheck. After winning an offensive draw, he would be the recipient of a Lafreniere rebound that allowed him to pounce for his 22nd goal with 1:07 left in regulation to tie the score. With a secondary assist, Panarin picked up his 85th point of the season.

In overtime, it was mostly Rangers. Samsonov made a save on Panarin. He also stopped Lafreniere and Trocheck. Zibanejad thought he had Kreider for the game-winner in front. But Kreider’s tip-in went wide. He’d have another chance stopped late in extra time.

With time growing short, a Kreider forced pass for Zibanejad was intercepted by the Leafs. With Miller caught due to the turnover, Lafreniere stepped on the ice too soon and touched the puck for a bench minor. If he hadn’t taken the penalty, the Leafs might’ve had a breakaway and scored. It left them with only seven seconds for a four-on-three. A Trocheck faceoff win sent the game to a shootout.

In the shootout, Nylander went wide in Round 1. Panarin shot into Samsonov’s glove. Following a Shesterkin save on Matthews, Zibanejad beat Samsonov with a snapshot. That meant Marner had to score in the third round. On a deke, he was able to tie it after a long pause. It looked like it wouldn’t count. But the replay showed that the puck was still moving. That made it a good goal.

Lafreniere went for the win. However, Samsonov was able to stop his backhand deke. In the fourth round, Domi came in and beat Shesterkin with a wrist shot upstairs. That left it up to Trocheck. He made a strong move and had Samsonov beaten. But the shot went off the goalpost to give the Leafs the extra point.

It was a superb game. The Rangers will get another test at home when they host the Panthers on Monday night.