The Florida Panthers struck back in the Eastern Conference Finals, defeating the Rangers 3-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night on an overtime goal by Sam Reinhart just 72 seconds into extra time.
The Panthers’ win means they even the best-of-seven series at two games apiece, with the series returning to Madison Square Garden for Game 5 on Thursday.
It was the third consecutive game in the series in which overtime took place. The Rangers had won the previous two and are now 4-1 in overtime during these playoffs.
Here are the takeaways:
–Blake Wheelerwho made an inspiring return to the ice after injury, was whistled for hooking with 19:01 left in OT, giving Florida a power play after a bad pass from Mika Zibanejad hurriedly put the Panthers away. Thirteen seconds later, Reinhart scored his eighth goal of the playoffs on a shot that hit the crossbar first and went in, giving the Panthers the win.
–Igor Shesterkin was brilliant again, making 36 saves in a game where the Panthers had many good chances and buzzed like crazy in the second and third periods, outscoring Rangers 27-10 in that period. At one point in the third, the Rangers went about 15 minutes without a shot. In two games in Sunrise, the Panthers had 197 shot attempts, 110 more than the Rangers.
-The Rangers trailed by a goal entering the third period, but Alexis Lafrenière leveled the score with his seventh goal in the play-offs and third in the last two games. Adam Fox had possession of the puck, looked at the net with a nifty spin move and fired what could have been a pass or a shot toward where Lafrenière was camped. Sergei Bobrovskyit’s right. Lafrenière punched the puck out of the air towards the goal, hitting Bobrovsky’s back for a 2-2 tie.
-After the Rangers dominated the first period, the Panthers were overwhelming in the second, taking a 2-1 lead that would have been bigger had Shesterkin not been great, as usual. The Panthers tied the score at 1 just after their power play ended Sam Bennett fired a shot that Shesterkin got a piece of, but the puck hit behind him near the right post. Bennett appeared nearby and used his stick to wedge the puck between Shesterkin’s skate and the post. The goal came with 11:15 left in the period.
-Just over two minutes later, the Panthers got a power play Barclay Goodrow was called for a postponement of the game and was given a sort of pinball goal. Matthew Tkachuk sent the puck to the front of the net and it started to carom. At some point it bounced off Ryan Lindgren And Carter Verhaeghe knocked him out of the air and into the net with his stick. It was Verhaeghe’s ninth goal of the playoffs and his fourth on the power play and it gave Florida a one-goal lead. The Panthers defeated the Rangers 14-5 in the second.
-The Rangers were great in the first period, creating multiple chances and ultimately cashing in on the power play to take a 1-0 lead. With 12:53 left in the period, Florida’s Anton Lundell was called for high-sticking and near the end of the man advantage, the Rangers scored. Vincent Trocheck won a faceoff in the Panthers zone and got the puck to Fox, who sent it to him Artemi Panarin. Panarin gave Trocheck a one-timer in the middle, just above the circles. The puck hit the crossbar and went in, giving Trocheck a team-best eight goals in these playoffs, including five on the power play.
Only Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl (six) has more. It was the first power-play goal of the series for the Rangers, who went 0-for-8 in the first three games and were on a 1-for-last-18 skid overall.
-The Rangers got another power play later in the Florida period Brandon Montour was ejected for cross-checking with 3:57 remaining. Zibanejad almost scored – his shot hit Bobrovsky in the shoulder and then onto the crossbar. The ball landed just in front of the goal line and flew away. The Rangers defeated the Panthers 12-11 in that period. The Panthers had four shots on goal on their only power play in the first and Shesterkin stopped them.
-Shesterkin made a slew of saves with a highlight in this match, including in the second period when he emerged from the net and stretched out to stop a shot. He believed the puck was safely beneath him. It was not. It was pried loose, but Shesterkin got back into position and made another save.
Later in the period he stoned Verhaeghe with a strange rush and, with 1:50 to go in the second, Aleksander Barkov came in alone in the rush and tried a backhand, but Shesterkin shot across the crease to block it. Early in the third, the goalkeeper used his right pad to kick away a shot from the former Ranger Vladimir Tarasenko and later used the same pad to quit Kyle Okposo‘s backhand in front.
-The Rangers activated Wheeler, who had not played since suffering a right leg injury on Feb. 15 that required surgery that most thought would end his season. The 37-year-old Wheeler, who had nine goals and 12 assists in 54 games before the injury, took his first shift just over two minutes into the game on Tuesday, skating on the fourth line.
Filip Chytil was cut from the lineup and the Rangers moved Jack Roslovic back to the first line on the right wing with Kreider and Zibanejad, where Chytil had played.
Who is the MVP? Sam Reinhart
The Florida forward, who scored 57 goals during the regular season, finished second in the NHL and led the league with 27 power-play goals, had a huge moment with his OT winner.
What’s next
With the series level, the two teams head to Madison Square Garden on Thursday night for a huge Game 5 with a puck drop at 8 p.m.
