Unlikely Heroes Fuel Maple Leafs To Late Victory Over Rangers

When depth defenseman Troy Stecher scored to put the Toronto Maple Leafs up 5-4 on the New York Rangers with just 28 seconds remaining Thursday night, the stars who were on the bench celebrated as though they had just won the Stanley Cup.

Everybody cheers for an underdog, NHL stars included. And when guys such as Stecher can join fourth liners Teddy Blueger, Brandon Duhaime and Zack MacEwen in doing the heavy lifting in a big victory, it's even more cause for joy.

It should come as no surprise that the Maple Leafs took a little while to find their identity. And now that they seem to have done that, they're on a three-game winning streak. And if their depth players can perform the way they did Thursday night, there will be a few more winning streaks in their future.

Watch more in today's video column above.

See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.