Rangers top Panthers in OT in Game 2, even Eastern Final

NEW YORK -- Barclay Goodrow scored at 14:01 of overtime, and the New York Rangers defeated the Florida Panthers 2-1 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final at Madison Square Garden on Friday.

Goodrow took a pass at the top of the slot from Vincent Trocheck on the rush and beat Sergei Bobrovsky on a wrist shot.

"I don't really remember exactly how it went in," Goodrow said. "I just remember Trocheck made a great pass to me and [Will Cuylle] was driving to the net, opening up the lane, so it was a great play by those two … It feels good, I think, whenever you can do something to help your team. Obviously, I think we played a pretty good game tonight, and it was nice to get rewarded with the win."

The goal came shortly after Goodrow won a face-off in the defensive zone.

"Everybody knows what he brings to the team," Trocheck said of Goodrow. "Every night, he's going to bring the same game. We use him in all different situations. ... In these playoffs, he's been outstanding for us on both ends of the ice."

The best-of-7 series is tied 1-1. Game 3 will be in Sunrise, Florida, on Sunday (3 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS, CBC).

Trocheck had a goal and an assist, and Igor Shesterkin made 26 saves for the Rangers, the No. 1 seed from the Metropolitan Division. New York is 3-0 in overtime this postseason.

"In overtime, you're just looking for that one," Rangers defenseman Adam Fox said. "... You know how big of a goal it is to make the series 1-1 rather than 2-0. It's massive and you're excited to see that one go in."

Carter Verhaeghe scored, and Bobrovsky made 28 saves for the Panthers, the No. 1 seed from the Atlantic Division. Florida had won four straight Stanley Cup Playoff games on the road.

"Obviously it's tough to lose in overtime, but at the end of the day [we went] 1-1 in their building," Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. "They came out really, really explosive tonight and that's what we expected. We lost a really tight game. We'll move on. We have a quick turnaround."

Trocheck gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead at 4:12 of the first period with a tap-in at the side of the net off a pass from Fox. It was New York's first goal of the series after being shut out 3-0 in Game 1.

"It got the building going, that was big," Rangers captain Jacob Trouba said. "Obviously a huge start. We wanted to get the first goal. They battled back and it was a tight game, and that's what we're going to expect every game in the series."

Verhaeghe tied it 1-1 at 18:09 of the first with a power-play goal from the slot.

"They got one (goal), but it was a good response," Verhaeghe said. "To go into the second tied, the game was there [but] they came out on top. ... I think that's what happens when you get the two best teams in the conference. ... It's going to be a battle."

Despite allowing a power-play goal and going 0-for-4 with the man-advantage, the Rangers found a way to win.

"I thought it was a pretty competitive game both ways," New York coach Peter Laviolette said. "I did like our game better and we end up getting a big overtime goal to move in. You definitely feel a lot better going down to Florida 1-1 than 0-2, and so it was a big win for us."

The Panthers had won their past 11 overtime playoff games, including going 7-0 last season.

"We didn't expect to win every game," Verhaeghe said. "They came out strong. We got the split. We go home and refocus."

NOTES: The Panthers lost in overtime in the playoffs for the first time since Game 6 of the first round in 2016. … Goodrow had four goals in 80 regular-season games this season, including one game-winning goal, and has four goals in 12 games this postseason, including two-game winners. … Rangers forward Kaapo Kakko was a scratch for the first time in these playoffs. He was replaced by Matt Rempe, who played 10:06 and had a game-high nine hits. … The Rangers are 21-3-1 with Rempe in the lineup this season (including playoffs). … New York is 0-for-6 on the power play in the series. … Rangers forward Jimmy Vesey left the game with an upper-body injury in the second period after taking a hit from Panthers forward Ryan Lomberg. There was no update.