Rangers edge Panthers in overtime, send Eastern Conference finals to Florida tied at one game each

The Rangers were not about to let the Panthers get a decisive edge in the Eastern Conference finals.

Barclay Goodrow scored in overtime, and New York topped the Panthers 2-1 to even the series at 1-1 at Madison Square Garden on Friday.

“Obviously, it’s tough to lose in overtime, but at the end of the day, 1-1 in their building,” Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad said.  “They came out really really explosive tonight, and that’s the way we expected. We lost a really tight game. We’ll move on. We’ve got a quick turnaround for a 3 o’clock game at home.”

The Rangers, who were dormant in Game 1, did not need much time to get rolling in Game 2. Alexis Lafrenière, who accidentally tipped a puck into his own net in Game 1, delivered a hit on Carter Verhaeghe, setting up the Rangers’ opening goal. New York defenseman Adam Fox got the puck and delivered it to former Panther Vincent Trocheck, who slotted the puck into a wide-open net.

Verhaeghe delivered a hit after the goal, setting up a series of fights that gave New York a power play immediately after scoring. The Panthers killed it off thanks in part to an excellent save by goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

Verhaeghe got his revenge, scoring on a power play with 1:51 left in the first period. He received a pass from Sam Bennett and fired from the slot, beating Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin for his eighth goal of the playoffs. Verhaeghe’s goal snapped a streak of 13 scoreless power plays for Florida.

“I thought we held the fort well,” Ekblad said.

Game 2 was much more physical than the first game, with the Panthers delivering 41 hits and the Rangers getting 51 in on Florida. The two teams combined for 65 hits in Game 1 and approached that number by the end of the second period on Friday.

“Nobody’s been arrested yet, so we’re OK,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said during an in-game interview for the television broadcast.

The Panthers’ defense buckled down after allowing the open goal. The Rangers went more than 11 minutes in the first and second period without a shot on goal.

In overtime, the Rangers nearly won on a shot deflected by Oliver Ekman-Larsson. But Goodrow ultimately sealed the win.

The series now moves to Florida for Game 3. The Rangers and Panthers square off at Amerant Bank Arena at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

“They’re a really good team,” Verhaeghe said. “We didn’t expect to win every game. They came out strong, and we got the split. We go home and refocus.”