Acciari scores winner, Nylander reaches 40 goals as Maple Leafs beat Rangers in regular season finale | CBC Sports

Noel Acciari scored the go-ahead goal late in third period, Joseph Woll made 22 saves and the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs beat the New York Rangers 3-2 on Thursday night in the regular season finale for both teams.

Rangers forward Filip Chytil appeared to tie it with 1.9 seconds left, but officials ruled he kicked the puck into the net.

Timothy Liljegren and William Nylander also scored for Toronto. Artemi Panarin and Kaapo Kakko scored for the Rangers.

Panarin put the Rangers up 2-1 at 6:26 of the third with assists to Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad, but Nylander scored his 40th for Toronto at 7:48.

WATCH | Nylander scores 40th goal of season:

Maple Leafs’ Nylander reaches 40 goals in victory over Rangers

Forward William Nylander scores 40 goals in a season for the first time in his career and Toronto goes on to beat New York Rangers 3-2.

Kakko scored at 1:38 of the second as he beat Woll for his 18th of the season with an assist to Vincent Trocheck.

Liljegren tied it at 3:09 of the third with his sixth.

The Rangers finished 47-22-13, third in the Metropolitan Division with 107 points. New York will face the New Jersey Devils in the first round of the playoffs.

Toronto finished second in the Atlantic Division with 111 points, good for home ice against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the opening round. The Maple Leafs are making their seventh-straight playoff appearance, but haven’t won a series since 2004.

The Maple Leafs rested captain John Tavares and also scratched forward Sam Lafferty, defencemen Mark Giordano and Erik Gustafsson, plus goaltenders Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov.