Barclay Goodrow’s game-winner in OT lifts Rangers to 2-1 win over Pant…
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The Rangers responded to being shut out in Game 1 to beat the Florida Panthers at their own game with a 2-1 overtime win on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
New York has evened the series at 1-1 thanks to a Barclay Goodrow game-winner in the extra period. Goodrow stopped a high puck in the neutral zone before passing it out to Vincent Trocheck who returned it to Goodrow just outside the left circle. Goodrow sniped the puck over the goalie’s right shoulder for the win.
Here are the takeaways…
-After the Rangers’ sluggish Game 1, the Blueshirts were noticeably quicker and more aggressive on the ice. The Panthers were so physical in the first game that it completely took the Rangers off their game and they were shut out for the first time since December.
New York matched the Panther’s aggression and it paid off in the first period with the Rangers’ first goal of the series. Alexis Lafreniere, who had the “fluke” own goal in the series opener, took out a defender, forcing the puck loose for Adam Fox to feed Trocheck behind Sergei Bobrovsky for the easy goal.
After the goal, the Panthers took exception to the hit and Carter Verhage took down Lafreniere causing a brawl between the teams, which led to a Rangers power play. Unfortunately, New York couldn’t capitalize, which was a theme in this game.
-The Rangers were 0-for-4 with the man advantage on Friday night. They are now 0-for-6 in the first two games of this series.
-The Panthers took control of the game after the Rangers’ goal. The physicality they showed in Game 1 returned, which led to opportunities in the Rangers’ zone. A Florida power play in the waning minutes led to a Verhaghe goal as the first period ended, 1-1.
The shots on goal were almost even, 8-7 in favor of the Rangers. New York out-hit the Panthers, 21-15 in the first.
-The second period started similarly to the first. The Rangers just couldn’t get momentum on the offensive end and wouldn’t get a shot on goal for more than 11 ice minutes — from the…
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