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The Florida Panthers fought back in the Eastern Conference Finals, beating the Forest ranger3-2, Tuesday night in Game 4 with an overtime goal from Samuel Reinhart Only 72 seconds left in overtime.
The Panthers’ victory means they evened the best-of-seven series at two games apiece and the series will return to Madison Square Garden for Game 5 on Thursday.
It was the third consecutive game in the series that went to overtime. The Rangers had won the previous two and are now 4-1 in overtime during these playoffs.
Here are the conclusions:
–Blake Wheelerwho was making an inspiring return to the ice after an injury, was whistled for hooking with 19:01 left in overtime, giving Florida a power play after a bad pass from Mika Zibanejad made the Panthers hustle. Thirteen seconds later, Reinhart scored his eighth goal of the playoffs with a shot that first hit the crossbar and went in, giving the Panthers the victory.
–Igor Shesterkin shined again, making 36 saves in a game in which the Panthers had plenty of good opportunities and were humming like crazy in the second and third periods, outscoring the Rangers, 27-10, in that span. At one point in the third, the Rangers were held without a shot for about 15 minutes. In two games at Sunrise, the Panthers had 197 shot attempts, 110 more than the Rangers.
-The Rangers trailed by one goal entering the third period, but Alexis Lafrenière he tied the score with his seventh goal of the playoffs and third in the last two games. adam fox had possession of the puck and took one look at the net with a clever spin move and fired what could have been a pass or a shot toward where Lafrenière was camped. Sergei BobrovskyIs right. Lafrenière launched the puck in the air towards the goal and it hit Bobrovsky’s back and tied it 2-2.
-After the Rangers dominated the first half, the Panthers were overwhelming in the second and took a 2-1 lead that would have been greater had Shesterkin not been, as always, fantastic. The Panthers tied the score at 1 just after their power play expired when Sam Bennett He fired a shot that Shesterkin got, but the puck stayed behind him near the right post. Bennett appeared near him and used his stick to place 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 went on a power play when Barclay Goodrow He was penalized for delay of game and got a kind of pinball goal. Matthew Tkachuk He sent the puck to the front of the net and began caroming. At one point she bounced Ryan Lindgren and Carter Verhaeghe He crushed it in the air with his staff and threw it into the net. It was Verhaeghe’s ninth goal of the playoffs and his fourth on the power play and gave Florida a one-goal lead. The Panthers outshot the Rangers, 14-5, in the second.
-The Rangers were fantastic in the first period, creating multiple opportunities and ultimately capitalizing on the power play to take a 1-0 lead. With 12:53 left in the period, Florida’s Anton Lundell He was called for high stick and near the end of the man advantage, the Rangers scored. Vicente Trocheck won a faceoff in the Panthers zone and passed the puck to Fox, who sent it to Artemi Panarin. Panarin fed Trocheck for a single down 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 Leon Draisaitl (six) has more. It was the first power-play goal of the series for the Rangers, who were 0 for 8 in the first three games and on a streak of 1 for their last 18 overall.
-The Rangers had another power play later in the period when Florida Brandon Montour He was ejected for cross control with 3:57 left. Zibanejad almost scored: his shot hit Bobrovsky in the shoulder and then hit the crossbar. He came down just short of the goal line and bounced away. The Rangers outshot the Panthers, 12-11, in the period. The Panthers had four shots on goal during their only power play in the first and Shesterkin stopped them.
-Shesterkin made a lot of saves in this game, including in the second period when he emerged from the net and lay down to stop a shot. He thought the puck was safe under him. Was not. He broke free, but Shesterkin returned to his position to make another save.
Later in the period, he stoned Verhaeghe on an odd-man rush and, with 1:50 left in the second, Alexander Barkov He arrived alone and attempted a backhand, but Shesterkin slid across the zone to block it. At the beginning of the third, the goalkeeper used his right pad to deflect a shot from the former Ranger. Vladimir Tarasenko and then used the same pad to stop Kyle OkposoHis backhand to the 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. Wheeler, 37, who had nine goals and 12 assists in 54 games before getting injured, took his first shift Tuesday just over two minutes into the game and skated on the fourth line.
Filip Chytil was removed from the lineup and the Rangers moved Jack Roslovic I returned to the first line on the right wing with Kreider and Zibanejad, where Chytil had been playing.
Who is the MVP? Samuel Reinhart
The Florida forward, who scored 57 goals during the regular season to finish second in the NHL and lead the league with 27 power-play goals, had a big moment with his overtime winner.
Whats Next
With the series level, the two teams head to Madison Square Garden for a big Game 5 on Thursday night with puck drop at 8 p.m.
