Game 2: Rangers Tie Up Series with Panthers In OT

As expected, the New York Rangers brought the fight to the Florida Panthers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final on Friday night.

In more ways than one.

The Panthers were ready for it.

This was a physical, hard-hitting game which would not be contained to three periods.

The Rangers ended up tying up this best-of-7 series, beating the Panthers 2-1 when Barclay Goodrow scored at 14:01 of overtime.

Igor Shesterkin picked up the win, making 26 saves,

Game 3 is Sunday afternoon in Sunrise.

Florida had won 11 straight overtime games in the postseason with its last loss coming to the New York Islanders in Game 6 in 2016.

That game was held a short subway ride from Madison Square Garden in Brooklyn. Florida’s streak was third-longest in NHL history.

Prior to overtime, this was a game filled with great plays and action from one end of the ice to the other.

Scoring? It was held to the first period.

New York took a 1-0 lead 4:12 in, Carter Verhaeghe getting taken off the puck by Alexis Lafreniere; that led to Adam Fox finding Vincent Trocheck on the side of the goal cage for the easy tap-in goal.

After a slew of hits — notably from Dmitry Kulikov and Ryan Lomberg — Verhaeghe tied it on a power-play shot from the slot with 1:51 left in the opening period.

The scoring was done until overtime.

The Rangers outhit the Panthers 46-34 in regulation, with enforcer Matt Rempe adding some jump to the Rangers in his return to the lineup by playing almost 10 minutes and getting nine of those hits.

His biggest play, however, was getting dumped in the corner on a slick hip check from Kulikov with about 5 minutes remaining in the third.

Florida defenseman Gus Forsling did not find the scoresheet in the first 60, but played a terrific game. Not only did he play 25:28 of the first 60, but he had four shot attempts, four blocks and three hits in regulation.

In overtime, Sergei Bobrovsky (28 saves) had to make a pair of big saves in the opening minute before stopping Chris Kreider midway through.

Then, Oliver Ekman-Larsson kept it going by blocking a rebound shot from Filip Chytil with his hind quarters.

Before Goodrow scored, Bobrovsky had a personal 12-game playoff winning streak in OT dating to Game 2 of the second-round in 2019 against Boston while with the Blue Jackets.

GOALS OF GAME 2

• Rangers 1, Panthers 0 (4:12, 1st): Carter Verhaeghe gets taken off the puck in the slot by Alexis Lafreniere led to some tic-tac-toe with Adam Fox feeding Vincent Trocheck alone by the side of the goal. Then, the fun started.
• Panthers 1, Rangers 1 (18:09, 1st PP): Verhaeghe gets his, firing through one through an Evan Rodrigues shield to beat Igor Shesterkin to tie it up.
• Rangers 2, Panthers 1 (14:01, OT): Barclay Goodrow wins it by firing a shot over the shoulder of Sergei Bobrovsky from the high slot.

GR’S 3 STARS OF GAME 2

1. Barclay Goodrow, New York

2. Igor Shesterkin, New York

3. Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL

FLORIDA PANTHERS (ATL1) V. NEW YORK RANGERS (MET1)

Best-of-7 Series Tied 1-1

GAME 3

• When: Sunday, 3 p.m.
• Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
• National TV: ABC
• Streaming: ESPN+/Hulu
• Radio: WQAM 560-AM; WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (West Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); WCZR 101.7-FM (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL app
• Series Schedule — Game 1: Florida 3, @New York 0; Game 2: @New York 2, Florida 1 OT; Game 3: New York at Florida, Sunday 3 (ABC); Game 4: New York at Florida, Tuesday 8 (ESPN): Game 5: Florida at New York, Thursday 8 (ESPN); Game 6*: New York at Florida, Saturday June 1, 8 (ABC); Game 7*: Florida at New York, Monday June 3, 8 (ESPN). (*) — If Necessary.
• How They Got Here: Florida d. Tampa Bay 4-1, Boston 4-2; Rangers d. Washington 4-0, Carolina 4-2.
• Last Season vs. Rangers — Regular Season: Rangers won 3-0
• This Season (Panthers Won 2-1) — At Florida: Panthers 4 Rangers 3 (Dec. 29). At MSG: Panthers 4, Rangers 2 (March 4); Rangers 4, Panthers 3 OT (March 23).
• All-time Regular Season Series: Rangers lead 61-34-8, 6 ties
• Postseason History: Rangers Lead 1-0 (1997 1st)