On Sunday, the New York Rangers broke the law in Sunrise, Florida. The Blueshirts shocked the Florida Panthers by winning a crucial game in overtime when Alex Wennberg scored his first goal of the Stanley Cup Playoffs at 5:35. There’s no other way to describe this victory than highway robbery, given that they were outshot 37 to 23 and had a 108 to 44 shot attempt differential.
Wennberg said, “It’s amazing,” after the game. “When you watch the puck enter the net, you feel a rush of energy and a wide range of emotions.” It’s excellent, of course.
“We didn’t want the third period to end, but you have to enter and restart. Of course, we had a little conversation there, but as a team, this squad shares that belief. Even if we don’t speak up much, we all glance at one another. We are aware of what needs to be done, and it is evident that once we set out, we complete the task.
In Tuesday’s Game 4 of this Eastern Conference Final, the Rangers will have an opportunity to recover and give it their all. They will have a 3-1 lead in this series and the opportunity to shut them out at Madison Square Garden in Game 5 if they can manage to win once more.
Rangers Recall: Florida Blueshirts Steal One
It started with two goals in 25 seconds by Alexis Lafreniere and Barclay Goodrow to take a 2-1 lead early in the first period. The Panthers responded with Sam Reinhart’s second power-play goal of the stanza to equalize.
In the second period, the Rangers same duo did their magic again with Lafreniere scoring hands downs the best goal of this postseason run to date, and Goodrow blasting one shorthanded.
Early in the first session, Alexis Lafreniere and Barclay Goodrow scored two goals in a span of twenty-five seconds, giving them a 2-1 lead. Sam Reinhart’s second power-play goal of the quarter in response gave the Panthers an equalizer.
The similar dynamic from the Rangers’ first postseason run was evident in the second period as Lafreniere scored the team’s finest goal to date and Goodrow scored a shorthanded goal.
Because of his combination of speed, talent, and physicality, we had declared Lafreniere arguably the Rangers’ strongest weapon against the heavy-hitting Panthers before the series began. The 22-year-old winger made a significant impact on Sunday by breaking through Florida’s defenses while the Blueshirts’ best players continue to be shut down.
When asked about his development into a potential scorer, Lafreniere said, “I think my working hard this summer, trying to improve my skating.” “I just try to execute plays and play my game. Playing with “Bread” and “Troch” obviously helps a lot.
Since his Game 2 OT winner, Goodrow has scored three of the Rangers’ last six goals. In 13 postseason games so far, the 31-year-old veteran, who scored just four goals during the regular season, has two assists and six goals.
Regarding Goodrow, coach Peter Laviolette stated, “He’s been a key contributor.” “We assign distinct roles to different players. He does a lot of the heavy lifting on the puck’s defensive end. But he is undoubtedly a player who has produced impressive results throughout his career, scoring huge goals in critical situations during playoffs.
Naturally, Igor Shesterkin’s play was the other tale told in this game. Despite the Rangers giving up their 4-2 advantage in the third quarter ,Without the 28-year-old backstop, there would have been no chance to win it in overtime.
Florida outshot the Rangers 18 to 8 from the beginning of the third quarter until Wennberg deflected Ryan Lindberg’s point shot for the game-winning basket. In terms of free throw attempts, the Panthers led 41 to 10 just in the third quarter.
Shesterkin was essentially under siege, yet he persisted in stopping numerous really challenging Panthers opportunities. Among them was Matthew Tkachuk, who entered the game by himself and made a shot at point blank range to keep the tie alive and set up a spectacular steal.
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