Alex Wenberg scored in extra time and Alexis Lafrenière and Barclay Goodrow scored two regulation goals each on Sunday as Forest ranger They beat the Florida Panthers, 5-4, in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Sunrise, Florida.
Igor Shesterkin He was exceptional (again) and stopped 34 of 38 shots. He was tested several times when Florida could have taken the lead in the third period and did not weaken. Overall, Florida outshot the Rangers, 38-23, including 13-4 in the third period and 6-4 in overtime.
The Rangers now lead the best-of-seven series, two games to one, and have regained home field advantage. The Rangers improved to 5-1 on the road in these playoffs and have won two straight OT games. Game four is Tuesday at 8 pm in Florida.
If you haven’t seen Lafrenière’s second goal yet, you will soon: it was a tremendous moment, a magnificent play. Goodrow’s second goal came short, quickly stopping any momentum Florida had hoped to gain from a four-minute power play in the second period.
These are the main conclusions:
– The Rangers entered the third period with a 4-2 lead, but the Panthers responded strongly. They got within one with 2:56 p.m. left when Carter Verhaeghe He shot the puck and it went wide. Alexander Barkov. Less than two minutes later, Florida scored again. Gustavo ForslingThe snapshot passed past Shesterkin. Forsling also hit the post with about 8:00 left in the third. Shesterkin was terrific for the rest of the period as the Panthers pushed hard for another goal, including a save on Matthew Tkachuk In front.
-The first half was wild. After the teams combined to score six total goals in the first two games, one of which went into overtime, they scored two each in the first period. The Panthers took an early 1-0 lead, but the Rangers scored twice in 25 seconds and then gave up a second power-play goal. First, a nice sequence of passes through the neutral zone that went from Jacob Trouba to Vicente Trocheck to Lafrenière who released Lafrenière in the center and scored with a backhand. It was Lafrenière’s fifth goal of the playoffs, but his first in five games. Shortly after, Goodrow scored a shot from Braden Schneider That gave him five goals in the playoffs, one more than he scored in the entire regular season. Goodrow’s goal meant that the Rangers had equaled their previous scoring output in the series in just a few seconds.
– Both of the Panthers’ goals in the first were scored by Samuel Reinhart, who scored 57 goals in the regular season and led the NHL with 27 power play goals. The first came after a delay-of-game penalty for Schneider, and Reinhart hit a backhander past Shesterkin. Later, a Matt Rempe The sharp penalty set up a Panther power play and Reinhard scored on another putback. The goal entered Trouba’s skate after a K’Andre Miller The turnover allowed Florida to keep the puck on its offensive end. The Panthers were fired up at the end of the first half and made Shesterkin work hard to keep the score even. Florida outshot the Rangers, 16-8, in the first.
– Lafrenière’s second goal gave the Rangers a 3-2 lead and was one of the nicest goals of the playoffs. With 4:37 left in the second, he made a sweet drag move between two Panthers that freed him up front and backhanded the Florida goalie. Sergei Bobrovsky. It all started with his spectacular run down the left side, the kind of thing Lafrenière probably dreamed about while he was growing up playing hockey.
– Goodrow, who scored the overtime winner for the Rangers in Game 2, scored for the second time Sunday with 1:46 left in the second period while the Panthers were on the power play. The Panthers were slow to come back when the Rangers cleared the puck and Trocheck corralled the puck and fed Goodrow for a one-timer. Goodrow’s blast zipped past Bobrovsky for a 4-2 Rangers lead.
– That particular Panther PP came when Trouba was called for two penalties in a sequence with 2:25 left in the second. He was already entering the cutting area when he hit Evan Rodrigues in the face with the elbow. Rodrigues fell, in pain, and then skated to the locker room, although he quickly returned. The officials reviewed the elbows to see if Trouba deserved a major penalty, but the Rangers captain was given two minutes for the cut and two for the elbow, giving Florida a four-minute power play that lasted until the third.
– With 7:34 left in the third period, it looked like the Rangers were going to go on a big power play when Barkov seemingly hit. Mika Zibanejad in the face with his cane. Originally, a double minor was called for a high stick, but the referees reviewed the play and determined that Zibanejad’s own stick hit him in the face and no penalty was called.
– The Rangers entered the game with an 88.4 percent penalty rate, but allowed two power-play goals on six Florida attempts, although they did score a shortie. Meanwhile, the Rangers’ power play continued to falter in the series, getting shut out on both attempts on Sunday. The Blueshirts are 0 for 8 in the series with a man advantage.
Who is the MVP?
Wennberg, of course. Your notice of a Ryan Lindgren The shot at 5:35 of overtime was Wennberg’s first goal of the playoffs and only his second as a Ranger since reaching a deal at the trade deadline.