Read reports from Thursday’s NHL games.
Noel Acciari goal leads Leafs to victory
Noel Acciari broke the tie late in the third period, Joseph Woll made 22 saves and the Toronto Maple Leafs edged the New York Rangers 3-2 on Thursday night in the final game of the schedule regular for both teams.
Acciari pushed the puck past Jaroslav Halak with 7:39 remaining to put the Maple Leafs ahead and start the playoffs 5-0-1 in their last six games.
Rangers forward Filip Chytil believed he had tied the game with 1.9 seconds left, but referees ruled he intentionally pushed the puck into the Leafs’ net with his skate.
Timothy Liljegren and William Nylander also hit the mark for Toronto. Artemi Panarin and Kaapo Kakko hit back for Rangers.
The Maple Leafs finished second in the Atlantic Division with 111 points, enough to give them home-ice advantage against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Leafs are entering the spring tournament for the seventh straight year, but they haven’t won a series since 2004.
The Rangers finished the season with a 47-22-13 record, ranking third in the Metropolitan Division with 107 points. They will face the New Jersey Devils in the first round of the playoffs.
Associated Press