NEW YORK - This isn't what the Maple Leafs had in mind for their final meeting with the Rangers this season.
Coming off a two-day holiday break that culminated in a game-day trip to New York, Toronto pulled out a 6-5 overtime victory Friday night that stretched its point streak to 16 games.
Mats Sundin scored 3:35 into overtime to lift Toronto, which led 4-1 and 5-2 and lost two players to injury.
"It was a strange game, a wild game," Maple Leafs coach Pat Quinn said. "We're happy with the win to say the least."
The Maple Leafs escaped with their streak intact despite being outshot 35-25. Toronto is 14-0-1-1 since last losing a regulation game on Nov. 20 at Edmonton, and 7-0-1 away from home.
Matthew Barnaby scored in the third to tie it for the Rangers.
"I don't know how everyone else feels but I don't get satisfied with one point," Rangers forward Bobby Holik said. "You are playing sloppy, you tie the game at one point, you want to win."
The Leafs and Rangers played their entire season series during Toronto's streak, and Toronto finished 4-0 against its Original Six foe.
Also, Maple Leafs forward Mikael Renberg returned home to Sweden to attend to undisclosed family issues and is expected to miss three games.
BLUE JACKETS 4, BLACKHAWKS 1: Manny Malhotra and Rick Nash scored 1:26 apart early in the third period to send Columbus to its first road win of the season. David Vyborny scored twice for the Blue Jackets, who ended six-game losing skid and nine-game winless streak. His second goal was into an empty net with 1:59 left.
The Blue Jackets improved to 1-11-1-2 away from home. Columbus also won for the first time in Chicago in eight games since entering the league in 2000-2001.
WILD 2, RED WINGS 2: Dwayne Roloson stopped 38 shots and visiting Minnesota extended its unbeaten streak to seven. The Wild got goals from Marian Gaborik and Wes Walz, improving to 4-0-3 during the run. Henrik Zetterberg and Kris Draper scored for Detroit, and Curtis Joseph made 22 saves.
Walz broke a 1-1 tie at 6:55 of the third when he tipped in Willie Mitchell's pass. But Draper tied it 28 seconds later, scoring from the bottom of the left circle after stealing the puck from Mitchell.
Zetterberg was credited with the goal that tied it at 1 for Detroit 2:06 into the third. His pass from along the boards was accidentally tipped past Roloson by the Wild's Sergei Zholtok, who was in the high slot.
SENATORS 3, PENGUINS 3: Zdeno Chara scored a power-play goal with 5:11 left in the third for host Ottawa. Chara drove a slap shot past goalie Sebastien Caron inside the right post for his eighth goal of the season. Todd White and Jason Spezza scored first-period goals, as Ottawa came back twice to extend its unbeaten streak to a season-high five games (3-0-2).
Tom Kostopoulos scored twice in the first 5:13 to give the Penguins their first 2-0 lead of the season. After the Senators tied it before the end of the period, Steve McKenna scored 2:45 into the second to restore Pittsburgh's lead and end a 56-game goal drought.
ISLANDERS 4, DEVILS 3 (OT): Mark Parrish scored 1:25 into overtime to lift visiting New York. The Islanders also got goals from Dave Scatchard, Mariusz Czerkawski and Oleg Kvasha as they beat the Stanley Cup champions for the second time in 10 days. Garth Snow made 26 saves.
Jeff Friesen scored with 8:01 left in the third to cap a three-goal comeback and help the Devils force overtime. Brian Rafalski and Patrik Elias also scored for New Jersey.
AVALANCHE 3, BLUES 3: Adam Foote's goal at 9:27 of the third lifted Colorado to a tie. The Avalanche is winless in its past six (0-3-3).
The Blues are 12-2-3-0 at home and unbeaten in their past eight (5-0-3-0) at Savvis Center, where a season-high 20,045 attended the game.
St. Louis scored twice on its first four shots of the second for a 3-2 lead. The Blues tied it at 2 on a power-play goal by Pavol Demitra at 7:43.
SABRES 3, HURRICANES 1: Mika Noronen had 30 saves and host Buffalo scored three times in the third. Ales Kotalik scored on the power play at 3:09 of the third, breaking Buffalo's 0-for-17 drought with the man advantage. Taylor Pyatt also scored for Buffalo, unbeaten in its past two after a seven-game skid.
Chris Taylor added an empty-net goal for the Sabres with 33.2 seconds left. Carolina fell to 2-2 under coach Peter Laviolette, who took over after Paul Maurice was fired Dec. 15. J.P. Dumont, Buffalo's leading scorer, injured his right hip in the first period. He is expected to miss at least week.
STARS 2, PREDATORS 1: Marty Turco stopped 23 shots and Brenden Morrow scored a power-play goal in the first period for host Dallas. Jason Arnott added a goal in the second to help Dallas win its third straight and improve to 5-1-1 in its past seven. The Stars completed their four-game season series against the Predators at 3-0-1.
CANUCKS 2, FLAMES 0: Dan Cloutier made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season to lead visiting Vancouver. Mattias Ohlund and Brendan Morrison scored for first-place Vancouver, which increased its lead to five points over Calgary in the Northwest. Calgary lost in regulation for just the second time in 18 games (12-2-2-2). Miikka Kiprusoff made 29 saves.
