Dave Hyde: Rangers steal Panthers’ overtime magic, and it’s a tough series now

For once, there was no magic at the end. No hometown hero. For once, the story was on the other side as the puck went from New York Rangers’ center Vinny Trocheck to winger Barclay Goodrow to the back of the Florida Panthers net in overtime.

Just like that, the Rangers took Game 2, 2-1.

Just like that, a good night of hockey has a good series.

Sergei Bobrovsky, the symbol of Panthers strength and power again these playoffs, simply skated slowly off the ice with a feeling he didn’t know of late. He’d won a staggering 12 straight overtime playoff games. But then this wasn’t just compelling and dramatic hockey that played out again in Madison Square Garden.

It was familiar hockey for th Panthers  This was the eighth overtime playoff game for the Panthers in the past two years. Their record in those previous seven games?

They were 7-0.

Make it 7-1.

Make it a series, too, tied at one game apiece heading to Sunrise for Sunday’s Game 3. It’s tough, tight hockey, just as you’d expect in an Eastern Conference final. Game 1 was a 1-0 game until the final few minutes. Game 2 was tied at 1-1 for hours. You get the low-scoring way this series is going?

Before Friday’s sudden end, between the hits and the noise, Panthers coach Paul Maurice did one of those quickie interviews behind the bench for ESPN in the first period. The question was about the physical play.

“Hey, nobody’s been arrested yet,” he said.

You saw what the Panthers’ physical, forechecking style of play dileading into Game 2. It made New York coach Peter Laviolette insert a rookie who averaged five minutes of ice time and scored one goal all year.

Matt Rempe, at 6-8, has a one-dimensional game. He hits people. He brings energy. Laviolette saw his team needed that.

“I haven’t paid that much attention to (Rempe) it as you guys have,’’ Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “Big physical guy, gets in on forecheck.

Maurice shrugged. He gave an emoji face — head tilted, mouth scrunched — of indifference.

Rempe got a couple solid hits in. He did fine. But did the Rangers get the license plate of Ryan Lomberg? He flattened Rangers star Mika Zibanejad in the first period, skating over the Ranger in the aftermath. He then collided with New York wing Jimmy Vesey in the second period so hard Vesey left the game apparently injured.

Lomberg also led the Panthers with five shots. He beat two Rangers defensemen early in the game and swooped in for a chance on goal. He created another chance in overtime. Maurice said Lomberg’s Game 1 might’ve been the best he’d seen the veteran play. Game 2 was even better.

Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, who earlier was penalized for interference for a crushing hit, sent Remke sprawling, all limbs akimbo, into the boards in the third period.

For much of Friday, the question was who would crack first, Bobrovsky or Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin. Each kept his team in the night with timely saves.

Barkov is becoming the dominant player in the series. He had two blocks on the Rangers’ second power play in the first period. Goodrow took an extra shot at Barkov for an interference penalty late in the first period. Carter Verhaeghe scored on that ensuing power play to make it 1-1.

Barkov rang the puck off the post after a nifty give-and-go in the second period. He fed Sam Reinhart midway for a golden chance midway through the third period, but Reinhart missed the net. Those are the chances the Panthers will think about.

“Too big, too strong, the Rangers have no answer for him right now,’’ former Rangers captain Mark Messier said of Barkov on ESPN after the second period

So, the series comes to Sunrise for Game 3 on Sunday. The Panthers haven’t played at home since Game 5 against Boston. They didn’t do too shabby, closing out the Boston series and splitting games in New York.

“The mentality is don’t take that deep breath,’’ Maurice said before Game 2.

That holds for Game 3. And Game 4. And …

“It going to be a grinder,’’ Maurice said of this series. “It’s going to be fast at times and tight on the boards at times.”

It’s going to be dramatic at times, too. Goodrow’s shot, the Rangers won Game 2 and now it’s a compelling series.