TORONTO — This is what Brendan Lemieux, still not in optimum game shape after limited use by the Jets, has been building toward, a night like this in which he could go a career-high 15:29 and be a factor.
“It was a test,” the winger said following the Rangers’ 2-1 OT victory over the Maple Leafs on Saturday. “I think I passed it.”
Lemieux, sent to New York from Winnipeg as part of the deal for Kevin Hayes, and the only roster player the Blueshirts acquired in trading Hayes, Mats Zuccarello and Adam McQuaid, had played 44 games for the Jets, but only 10 minutes or more in five.