SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers will try to regain their edge in the Eastern Conference Final when they host the New York Rangers for Game 3 at Amerant Bank Arena on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.
Following a 3-0 win in Game 1, the Panthers suffered a 2-1 overtime loss in Game 2.
“After a loss, we come to the rink with a little more focus, a little more energy,” Panthers forward Nick Cousins said when asked about trying to bounce back in their own barn. “It’s a quick turnaround. It’s an early afternoon start. After a loss, you just want to get back it.”
As it was in Game 1, the action was tight once again in Game 2.
With the Rangers owning the start of the first period, Vincent Trocheck tapped in a pass from Adam Fox to break the ice and make it 1-0. Taking control in the second half of the period, the Panthers pulled even when Carter Verhaeghe’s power-play snipe made it 1-1.
In the second and third periods, neither team touched the twine despite a few close calls.
As it was in Game 1, the Panthers continued to excel at shutting down the Rangers’ vaunted power play. Finishing 4-on-4 on the penalty kill in Game 2, they survived New York’s best chance to score when they killed off 1:35 of a 4-on-3 disadvantage in the second period.
Through the first two games of the series, the Panthers are 6-for-6 on the PK.
“We’ve been really good,” said Panthers forward Kevin Stenlund. “We’ve been steady, staying in lanes. There haven’t been penalties on our side, which helps.”
In overtime, Barclay Goodrow provided the heroics for the Rangers when he took a pass from Trocheck and beat Sergei Bobrovsky with a top-shelf snipe from the slot to lock in the 2-1 win.
In games following losses in this year’s playoffs, the Panthers have gone 3-0.
Despite their success on the road, the Panthers have also been strong at home in the playoffs, owning a 4-2 record while outscoring the opposition 20-13 in those six games.
“It’s learning from it and being better next game,” Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues said of turning the page after Game 2. “We’ve had a good mindset all year on fixing the things that we might not have done to the best our ability and coming out and playing hard next game.”
Due to the early start for Game 3, lineup information won’t come until closer to puck drop.
That being said, it’s safe to assume Sergei Bobrovsky and Igor Shesterkin will be in their respective nets.
An epic battle between former Vezina Trophy winners, both goaltenders have been in the zone through the first two games of the series. Bobrovsky boasts a .963 save percentage for Florida, while Shesterkin is sitting on a .962 save percentage for New York.
The Rangers will have to make at least one lineup change for Game 3 as forward Jimmy Vesey is week-to-week with an upper-body injury suffered in Game 2. After being a healthy scratch last game, forward Kaapo Kaakko could potentially slot back in.
For the Panthers, head coach Paul Maurice will speak at 12:20 p.m. ET.
PANTHERS PLAYOFF LEADERS
Goals: Verhaeghe (8)
Assists: Tkachuk (11)
Points: Tkachuk (16)
Hits: Ekblad (43)
Blocks: Reinhart (22)
RANGERS PLAYOFF LEADERS
Goals: Kreider, Trocheck (7)
Assists: Zibanejad (11)
Points: Trocheck (16)
Hits: Trouba (46)
Blocks: Trouba (54)
THEY SAID IT
“It’s nice to get right back into it. It’ll be important for us to do the right things today and get recovered for tomorrow. Make sure you take care of your body, wake up and get right back at it.” – Evan Rodrigues
“There are times when you kind of need stop the bleeding or cut things off. In that time, you just want to play as simple a game as possible. Just drop your risk profile right down, so nothing through the middle, nothing that you can’t control in terms of where the puck goes. Then you’re just patient in the game. Not passive, just patient.” – Paul Maurice
FIVE CATS STATS
- The Panthers have yet to lose back-to-back games in this year’s playoffs.
- Carter Verhaeghe has scored in each of the last two games.
- The Panthers are surrendering just 24.3 shots per game at home in the playoffs.
- Sam Reinhart has fired off a team-high 55 shots on goal in the playoffs.
- Gustav Forsling boasts a team-high +9 plus/minus rating in the playoffs.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Vladimir Tarasenko – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Anton Lundell – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Sam Bennett – Evan Rodrigues
Ryan Lomberg – Kevin Stenlund – Nick Cousins
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Brandon Montour
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Dmitry Kulikov
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Anthony Stolarz
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- May 6: F Patrick Giles recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Sunday, May 26 at 3 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: ABC, ESPN+
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 92.1 WZZR (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM Channel 220 / App & Streaming 932; Panthers App
Tickets: Here
