Rangers vs. Panthers, Game 6 of Eastern Conference Final: Instant reaction

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers advanced to the Stanley Cup Final for a second straight season by defeating the New York Rangers 2-1 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday.

Here are some immediate takeaways from the game from NHL.com senior writer Dan Rosen:

Star of the game

Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves on 24 shots, but he is splitting this with defenseman Gustav Forsling. The Panthers defenseman had five shots on goal, seven shot attempts, two hits and one diving play to stop a potential breakaway for Chris Kreider when Florida still led 1-0 early in the third period.

Goal of the game

Vladimir Tarasenko scored his only goal of the series with a one-timer from in front of the right post off a cross-crease pass from Anton Lundell at 9:08 of the third period. The goal gave Florida a 2-0 lead, but it turned into the game-winning goal when Artemi Panarin scored at 18:20 to make it 2-1.

Save of the game

Igor Shesterkin kept it 1-0 early in the third period by stopping the initial point shot from Oliver Ekman-Larsson at 1:47 and then splitting out his left pad as far as he could to prevent Tarasenko from scoring off the rebound one second later. But with no goal support, it didn't matter.

What's next

The Panthers will play Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against either the Dallas Stars or Edmonton Oilers on June 8. They will be the home team if they play the Oilers. They will be the road team if their opponent is the Stars. Edmonton leads Dallas 3-2 in the best-of-7 Western Conference Final and will host Game 6 on Sunday.