The Rangers dominate the Maple Leafs in their first test against their top opponents

TORONTO – The Rangers didn't shy away from their first top opponent on the schedule.

The competitive leap may have been obvious, but for a Blueshirts team that began the season resembling a speeding locomotive, it hardly mattered.

Looking to remain undefeated through their first five games, the Rangers earned a 4-1 victory over the Maple Leafs on Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena.

“I thought it was a really good win,” head coach Peter Laviolette said. “It’s never easy against a good team in Toronto.”

Not to diminish the Rangers' convincing 4-0-1 start to the season, the average of five goals per game in the first four games should be more indicative of the players and goaltenders on the other side of the ice.

However, when it came to needing a more complete game against a more complete opponent, the Rangers trailed with two top-six goals and a stellar 34-save performance from goaltender Igor Shesterkin.

The Maple Leafs, who entered the game on a three-game winning streak, were considered the first playoff team from last season that the Rangers had faced so far.

Saturday also saw the Rangers claim three away wins in a row to start the season, which was only the third time the Rangers had achieved this and the first time in almost a century (1931/32 season).

And yet, despite two dominant wins against the Red Wings earlier this week, Laviolette decided to make two personnel changes.

By moving Matt Rempe back to the fourth line in place of Jonny Brodzinski and sending Chad Ruhwedel to his season debut in place of Zac Jones, Laviolette got a good look at his D-pair options, with Ryan Lindgren expected to return from injured reserve close Future.

Laviolette plays with his lineup and the Rangers are still on the rise.

That's a luxury for any team, but especially for the Rangers, who are clearly playing for the long haul.

With Ruhwedel, the Rangers used five right-backs for the first time since a 3-4 loss to the Jets on February 26, 2013.

The circumstances were slightly different considering Ryan McDonagh and Michael Del Zotto were both injured at the time.

The decision to make this lineup was a coaching decision by Laviolette, who will have to decide on his defensive team when Lindgren is healthy.

Keeping Victor Mancini, a legitimate rookie, and risking losing Ruhwedel or Jones to waivers on the way to Hartford, or sticking with the veterans.

Winning games regardless of personnel makes it much easier to weigh these options early in the season.

“I thought he was good, I thought he had a good game,” Laviolette said of his impressions of Mancini in his offside position on the left. “I made a good play to get an assist on the first goal, just pulling it from my backhand to my forehand and getting the puck in there.”

The Rangers didn't have much control of the puck in the first five minutes of the game, but they created the first few good scoring opportunities and suddenly began to stabilize.

Toronto goalkeeper Anthony Stolarz had to make a few big saves, including one on Chris Kreider on the doorstep and Mika Zibanejad's follow-up shot off a rebound. At that moment, the rise of competition was abundantly clear.

Still, it wasn't enough to slow down Alexis Lafreniere.

The 2020 top pick collected a rebound, patiently held on to the puck and then put it under Stolarz's glove to extend his point streak to five games.

Kreider then made it 2-0 less than halfway through the midfield when the senior Ranger buried a nifty shot from Zibanejad on the side of the Maple Leafs net.

Zibanejad said he knows Kreider will be there.

The Maple Leafs made a significant push in the third period, peppering Shesterkin with a game-high 18 shots.

Toronto captain Auston Matthews made the breakthrough to avoid the shutout, but the equalizer never came before Kreider and Artemi Panarin added empty-nitters.

“You don’t want to say you’re used to it, but he’s such a big part of our team, as is (Jonathan Quick),” Zibanejad said of Shesterkin. “He gives us a chance to win every night.”