In what was the final installment of the special centennial anniversary, the Rangers gave their fans a rare chance to cheer by defeating the Maple Leafs 6-2 at Madison Square Garden.

Prior to the game, MSG welcomed back former players from the Modern Era (2004 to Present) of the franchise. Those included Sean Avery, Brandon Dubinsky, Brian Boyle, Dominic Moore, Michael Del Zotto, Carl Hagelin, Brandon Prust, Marian Gaborik, Derek Dorsett, Kevin Klein, Colton Orr, Darius Kasparaitis,Steve Valiquette, Marc Staal, and Henrik Lundqvist. Former 2005-06 head coach Tom Renney and general manager Glen Sather were also part of the ceremony that included the stick salute, which started in 2005.

Once the game started, it took the Rangers 13 seconds to fall behind. Matias Maccelli finished off a William Nylander pass in front for his 12th before fans had settled into their seats.

Unlike most of the games played at home, the Rangers responded well. They drew even thanks to Will Cuylle tipping in a Braden Schneider shot for his 14th. It was all part of a strong shift from the second line that Jonny Brodzinski anchored in place of Vincent Trocheck, who sat out for roster management reasons.

With the trade deadline on Friday afternoon, Trocheck might’ve played his final game on Monday. If he did, he went out the right way by helping the Rangers rally from a 4-0 third period deficit in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Blue Jackets. Trocheck will learn his fate later today. If he’s moved to a contender, it’ll likely be closer to home.

Despite only managing four shots, the Rangers remained tied after one period. They fell behind for the second time when Easton Cowan finished off his eighth to put the Leafs back ahead. However, the lead was short-lived.

With Morgan Rielly off for taking down Vincent Iorio, the Rangers were able to capitalize on the man-advantage. On some nice passing started by Brodzinski over to Taylor Raddysh, he found an open Vladislav Gavrikov for his career best third power-play goal to tie the game. In his first year as a Blueshirt, Gavrikov has a career-high 11 goals. With 24 points, he’s nine points shy of his career best set in 2021-22 with the Blue Jackets.

Despite the Leafs spending some extended shifts in the Rangers zone, which included the five-man unit of Noah Laba, Tye Kartye, Chmelar, Iorio, and Matthew Robertson caught on for three minutes, they were unable to re-take the lead near the end of the period.

In the third, the Rangers erupted for four goals to pull away from the Leafs, who were playing for a second consecutive night.

On a good shift from the top line, Mika Zibanejad had his point shot tipped in by Alexis Lafreniere for the go-ahead tally. It was his 14th of the season. A key player who has to do more, Lafreniere took over the period by recording a goal and two assists. His work with Zibanejad and Perreault was outstanding.

On a takeaway in the neutral zone, Chmelar broke away from the Leafs and beat Joseph Woll with a forehand for his first career NHL goal. He used his reach to walk in and deke Woll. It was a special moment for the rookie who had just been called up for his seventh game.

Less than a minute later, Zibanejad finished off his team-leading 25th to extend the Rangers’ lead to 5-2. After missing a Perreault feed earlier in the shift, he buried a Lafreniere dish that Adam Fox helped set up.

With Woll on the bench for an extra attacker, Zibanejad and Lafreniere combined on Cuylle’s empty netter that put the exclamation mark on a satisfying win. It was only the third time the Rangers had won in regulation at MSG.

Even on an emotional night, with it being learned that popular teammate Sam Carrick was on his way to the Sabres in a deal first reported by Elliotte Friedman, the Rangers finally gave their fans something to enjoy. They were given a well-deserved hand after the win.

Carrick will be missed due to the grit and hustle he played with. He always stood up for teammates, taking on all comers. Now, he’ll go try to help Buffalo, who’s headed for their first postseason in 15 years.

If Trocheck goes on Friday, two high-character guys will be gone. That’s the business side of sports. Trocheck has looked like he knows he’s a goner for a while. If he finally is, best of luck to him.