Rangers keep rocking

NHL teams

The Rangers won their fifth straight game and climbed over the .500 mark for the first time this season at 10-9-7 after an 0-4 start. Goalie Mike Richter made 24 saves for New York and extended his and the team's unbeaten streak to six games (5-0-1).

"We're playing the way we should," Richter said. "It's confidence building, as an individual and as a team."

Mike Knuble, Todd Harvey, Niklas Sundstrom, Brian Leetch, Peter Nedved and John MacLean scored for New York, which extended its unbeaten streak against the Maple Leafs to 10 games (9-0-1). Toronto hasn't beaten New York since Jan. 3, 1993 and hasn't won in Madison Square Garden since Dec. 19, 1990, a stretch of seven games (0-6-1).

"We worked very hard and we've been winning." Nedved said. "We forechecked good and we skated well. That's the key, playing in their zone. The more you play in their end, the more you can score."

Frederik Modin and Sergei Berezin scored for the Maple Leafs, who had won three straight and six of their previous seven and were tied for the second-best record in the league.

"We were never close. We were out of position, chasing the puck," Toronto coach Pat Quinn said. "It was the worst game we've had by far, it was very poor, no other way to say it. They were better positioned and we were lousy. Our guys were drifting all over the place. We didn't play the game tonight, we were on the outside trying to make the fancy plays. Tonight we didn't skate, we played along the boards and when we do that we lose."