The New York Rangers committed a crime in Sunrise, Florida, on Sunday. Alex Wennberg’s overtime goal gave the Blueshirts a crucial victory over the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup playoffs. After being outshot 37 to 23, with a shot attempt differential of 108 to 44, this win can only be classified as highway robbery.
“It’s amazing,” Wennberg beamed after the game.”When you see the puck go into the net, you get a rush of energy and emotions. It’s fantastic, obviously.
“The third period did not end the way we wanted, but you must go in and reset. Obviously, we had a brief conversation, but as a team, we share that belief. We may not be the most loud, but we all glance at each other. We know what to do, and you can see when we get out there that we get the job done.”
Now the Rangers have a chance to regroup and put forth a more complete effort in Game 4 of this Eastern Conference Final battle set for Tuesday. If they can find a way to come out on top again, they will grab a 3-1 stranglehold on this series with a chance to close them out at Madison Square Garden in Game 5.
Rangers Recall: Blueshirts steal one in Florida
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.
Prior to the series, we considered Lafreniere to be the Rangers’ finest weapon against the Panthers due to his speed, skill, and aggressiveness. As the Blueshirts’ top players continue to be shut down, the 22-year-old winger broke through Florida’s defenses to make a significant difference on Sunday.
“I think my working hard this summer, trying to improve my skating,” Lafreniere said of his rise as a scoring threat. “I’m just trying to play my game and create plays. Obviously, playing with ‘Bread’ and ‘Troch’ is really beneficial.”
Goodrow has scored three of the Rangers’ last six goals, dating back to his Game 2 OT winner. The 31-year-old veteran has six goals and two assists in 13 postseason games after scoring only four times throughout the regular season.
“He’s been a key contributor,” coach Peter Laviolette said about Goodrow. “We ask different players to fill different responsibilities. He does a lot of hard work on the defensive side of the ball. But he’s clearly a guy who has put up statistics in his career, scoring huge goals in big moments in previous finals.”
Of course, the other story of this game was Igor Shesterkin’s play. Even though the Rangers gave up a 4-2 lead in the third period, the 28-year-old goaltender saved the game in overtime.
From the start of the third period until Wennberg deflected Ryan Lindgren’s point attempt for the victory, Florida outshot the Rangers 18-8. In terms of shot attempts, the Panthers led 41-10 in the third period.
Shesterkin was practically under siege, but he remained steady, blocking many really difficult Panthers chances. That includes Matthew Tkachuk going in alone and shooting from point blank range to keep the tie and set up an amazing steal.
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