Penn Station Dub: New York Rangers 4, Florida Panthers 3 (SO)

The Florida Panthers were in a much different place Saturday night than the previous time they visited the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

Although it was just a few weeks ago, the Panthers entered Saturday’s game a bruised, battered — and apparently sick — bunch.

Still, the Panthers gave the Rangers everything they had before falling 4-3 in a shootout.

With the point, Florida pulled within three points of Boston for the Atlantic Division lead with two games in hand.

Florida went 1-for-3 in the shootout while New York scored twice; Artemi Panarin getting two goals and the game-winner in the shootout.

The Panthers, who have lost four straight (0-3-1), took a 2-0 lead with Matthew Tkachuk scoring on a deflection in the first and Eetu Luostarinen off a slick feed from Sam Reinhart right off the hop in the second.

New York roared back, however, erasing that deficit in a span of 2:01 in the second with Adam Fox and Panarin both scoring.

The score stayed tied at 2 until Carter Verhaeghe scored his first goal in 14 games by rifling a shot from the right circle with 4:08 remaining.

The Rangers came back just 43 seconds later when Panarin’s shot into traffic pinballed first off Niko Mikkola and then off Kevin Stenlund and past Sergei Bobrovsky.

Bobrovsky was terrific in overtime — as was counterpart Igor Shesterkin — as the two traded one big save after another.

The two combined for nine saves in the overtime before it went to the shootout.

Florida was playing without three of its top defensemen as Gus Forsling was sick and sat out, joining the injured Aaron Ekblad and suspended Dmitry Kulikov watching on TV.

The Panthers’ makeshift defense played a fantastic game with Josh Mahura standing out — it was his shot that Tkachuk knocked in. Uvis Balinskis and newcomer Toby Bjornfot also looked sharp.

GOALS OF THE GAME

• Panthers 1, Rangers 0 (8:15, 1st): Josh Mahura throws up a shot from the point that appeared to clip New York defenseman K’Andre Miller — only Matthew Tkachuk is right in front of the net and puts it past Igor Shesterkin.
• Panthers 2, Rangers 0 (0:21, 2nd): Florida roars down the ice off the faceoff with Sam Reinhart and Eetu Luostarinen on a 2-on-1; the Rangers watch Reinhart make a crisp cross-ice pass to Luostarinen and that’s his 12th of the season.
• Panthers 2, Rangers 1 (6:22, 2nd): Adam Fox wrists one from the slot with Kyle Okposo in the box for holding.
• Rangers 2, Panthers 2 (8:23, 2nd): Anton Lundell lost a bobbling puck deep in the zone, it got out to Vincent Trocheck who fed Artemi Panarin for the one-timer from the left circle. No. 42 for Mr. Bread.
• Panthers 3, Rangers 2 (15:52, 3rd): On Florida’s second shot of the third, Carter Verhaeghe gets his first goal since Feb. 14 against the Lightning after doing a nice job of keeping the puck in the zone after his initial shot was blocked.
• Rangers 3, Panthers 3 (16:35, 3rd): Florida’s lead was short lived as Panarin whips a shot that first hits Niko Mikkola in front of the net before going off of Kevin Stenlund and past Sergei Bobrovsky.
• Rangers 4, Panthers 3 (2-1, shootout): Panarin got the game-winner as Reinhart was the only Florida player to score.

GR’S 3 STARS OF THE GAME

1. Artemi Panarin, New York

2. Matthew Tkachuk, Florida

3. Vincent Trocheck, New York

ON DECK

FLORIDA PANTHERS @ PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

• When: Sunday, 6 p.m.
• Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia
• TV/Streaming: Bally Sports Florida, ESPN+
• Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL app
• Season Series (Flyers Lead 2-0) — At Florida: Flyers 2, Panthers 1 (Feb 6); Flyers 2, Panthers 1 (March 7). At Philadelphia: Sunday.  
• Last Season: Philadelphia won 2-1
• All-time Regular Season Series: Philadelphia leads 58-37-6, 7 ties
• Up Next for the Panthers: Tuesday vs. Boston, 7 p.m.