It is now a best-of-three in the Eastern Conference final as the Florida Panthers beat the New York Rangers 3-2 in overtime to tie the series at two games apiece.
The Panthers are now 4-1 in games after a loss in the postseason, while this is the first OT loss for the Rangers this postseason.
You would have never known this was a must-win game for the Panthers by the way they started this game.
Florida came out of the locker room and looked like they were skating in quicksand as they let the Rangers dominate play for the majority of the first period.
Coach Paul Maurice said his team was uptight in the first period to start the game.
What did he tell them to get them going in the second period? “You guys are too good to be uptight. Just relax and play.”
A Vincent Trocheck power play goal gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead as they outshot the Panthers 13-11 in the first period.
Panthers Get Going In The Second Period
The Panthers would allow the Rangers just nine shots on goal the rest of the game.
The Panthers got their skates going in the second period, and good things happened.
Sam Bennett put one by Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin at 8:45 of the second period to tie the game 1-1.
Bennett said every game feels like a must-win at this time of year, but this game four was crucial for the Panthers to win.
“It’s a big game. It’s crucial. We know how important this game is. We’re going to be prepared for it. In the playoffs, every game feels like a must-win game. We’re going to just treat it the same as we’ve treated all the other games.”
The Power Play Has Been Huge For The Panthers
After the Bennett goal, Carter Verhaeghe, who has been red hot on the power play, got his ninth postseason goal on the power play to give the Panthers a 2-1 lead at the 12:45 mark of the second period.
Verhaeghe knows how important the PP is. “The power play is huge,” Verhaeghe said. “Any time we get some momentum and a goal on the power play, it’s a big part of the game.”
The Panthers were the aggressors in the second period as they outshot the Rangers 15-7 and took that 2-1 lead to the locker room.
In the third period, the Rangers got on the board as Alexis Lafreniere scored his seventh of the playoffs at 3:28 to tie the game at two.
The Panthers had a 39-22 shots-on-goal advantage at the end of regulation and held the Rangers without a shot on goal for over 15 minutes in the period.
In overtime, the Panthers were the aggressors from the start. Barkov was pulled down on a breakaway, and for a minute, it looked like Florida would be awarded a penalty shot.
Florida Gets New Life With Overtime Goal
A two-minute minor was awarded, and just 72 seconds into overtime, Sam Reinhart scored the power play goal, his eighth of the playoffs, and that sent the series back to New York tied at two games apiece.
With that overtime goal, it looked like the weight of the world had been lifted off the shoulders of this Florida Panthers team.
The Panthers now have new life as they head back to New York in what has become a best of three.
Game five is Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, with the puck drop just after 8 PM.