Lundell steps up late for Panthers in Game 5 win against Rangers

NEW YORK -- Through the first two periods of Game 5, the third line for the Florida Panthers was stuck in neutral, the way all three players had been for most of the Eastern Conference Final. Anton Lundell had a single assist in the first four games of the series, Eetu Luostarinen had no points and so did Vladimir Tarasenko.

They figured it was enough.

“We just decided after the second period it was time to step up, everybody,” Lundell said. “We all wanted to step up and I felt like it was important for our line to give momentum, give the energy to the team. And then just trying to do our best. We had some great chances and finally we got the goal as well. That was huge.”

That was an understatement.

The three players, who had been put back together in Game 3 of the series, started pushing, seeing their game come together shift after shift, with a between-the-legs attempt from Lundell and one from Luostarinen. They got chances and confidence, as the Panthers and their line surged in the third.

And then, at 10:22, with the game tied 1-1, Lundell converted. Luostarinen started to break the puck out, sending the pass over to Lundell as he entered the neutral zone. Lundell picked it up just over the red line, skating down the left side of the ice as Tarasenko drifted toward the net.

Lundell waited and waited, his patience rewarded when he released the puck just north of the face-off dot, the goal breaking the tie as the Panthers went on to the 3-2 win in Game 5 that gave them a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 series.

It was a starring moment for a player who has been an underrated and underappreciated part of a team on the brink of reaching its second straight Stanley Cup Final.

“I’m just happy for one for him to go in because he’s just one of those guys that I don’t spend a lot of time talking about,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said. “He’s had a bunch of chances. You know the skill’s there because he’s in the two-hole on our shootouts, but he’s lights out. So, it’s there.

“He’s still young, right? That’s the thing we always have to remind ourselves. He’s still a young player. But a goal in a game like this on the road, Game 5 -- and I would call it a bit of a de facto game-winner because it changed the game -- good for him. I’m happy for him.”

And because of that game-changing goal, that win, the Panthers head back to Florida with a chance to close out the series in Game 6 at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS, CBC).

It wasn’t just Lundell, though.

Maurice noted that Tarasenko, 32 years old to the 22 of Lundell and 25 of Luostarinen, spent much of the game talking to his linemates, pushing and cajoling them, indicating that his words -- in addition to his play -- were crucial in getting the line going in the third.

That’s the benefit of experience.

It’s something Lundell is still working toward.

“Anton Lundell is -- I have absolutely no idea how good he can be,” Maurice said. “But we’re going to find out.”

The forward is an emerging star who has already played 46 Stanley Cup Playoff games, despite being just 22. He now has 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 16 playoff games this season, one more point (two goals, eight assists) than he had in 21 games in the postseason when the Panthers made the Stanley Cup Final in 2023.

“He was huge,” captain Aleksander Barkov said. “He’s stepped up before and as a young kid in this league, he’s had so many big goals and he just looks like they keep coming, he keeps coming. But he’s a great kid. It’s a lot of fun to watch him play.”

But there is more. They know there is. The brief flashes only underscore the talent and ability that is there, hints at what might come in seasons to come.

The forward had a difficult time transitioning to the NHL when he arrived, a difficult time adjusting to the United States, to the language, to the responsibilities. He lived with Barkov, who helped him with the details of life inside and outside of hockey.

It has paid off, for Lundell and for the Panthers.

“He’s a smart player,” goalie Sergei Bobrovsky said. “He does really good things on the defensive side of the game and it’s great to see him scoring big goals.”

Asked if he saw some of Barkov in Lundell, Bobrovsky demurred.

“I think every player has a unique skill set and a unique mindset too,” Bobrovsky said. “He’s going to be Anton Lundell and he’s going to be a superstar.”