Sam Reinhart scores game-winner in overtime as Panthers defeat Rangers 3-2 to tie series

The Eastern Conference Final headed to overtime for the third consecutive game.
But unlike the first two games, the Panthers were the team that came away with the victory.
Sam Reinhart scored the overtime game-winning goal 1:12 into the extra period and the Panthers defeated the Rangers 3-2 victory at Amerant Bank Arena. With the win, the Panthers tied the Eastern Conference Final series at 2-2.
Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafrenière both registered goals for the Rangers. Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe each found the net for the Panthers.
Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin allowed three goals on 39 shots. Florida netkeeper Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 21 shots and allowed two goals.
Blake Wheeler, who was playing in his first game since suffering a leg injury on Feb. 15, was called for hooking Aleksander Barkov 59 seconds into overtime. It took Reinhart only 13 seconds to score the power-play goal and the game-winner for the Panthers after Barkov set him up.
“We are spending a little bit too much time playing defense, especially in the second period,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. “That happened last game as well. So, we are not able to move and generate the way that we want to out there.
“They come at you hard with a lot of pucks, they forecheck hard. I thought that was something we did a much better job at home. There was a spot in Game 3 and there was a spot here in Game 4, we didn’t get that push that we needed in the period.”
The Rangers probably had their best period of the series during the opening 20 minutes of Game 3. They registered 12 shots to the Panthers’ 11. The Blueshirts were also more aggressive and made excellent decisions with the puck.
Just 4:20 into the first period, the Panthers received their first power play after Erik Gustafsson wrestled Eetu Luostarinen down to the ice and was called for roughing.
However, The Blueshirts killed off the Panthers’ power play after Shesterkin stopped four shots in two minutes. Not long after Gustafsson got out of the penalty box, the Rangers went on the power play for the first time after Anton Lundell committed a high-sticking penalty (7:07).
The Rangers finally scored their second power-play goal of the series when Trocheck ripped a slapshot between the circle to take a 1-0 lead. Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox assisted on Trocheck’s goal.
Coming off Trocheck’s goal, the Rangers returned on the power play late in the first period after Brandon Montour was called for cross-checking. The Rangers were aggressive on the 5-on-4 advantage, and Mika Zibanejad hit the goalpost after Bobrovsky was out of position. They had three shots on goals, but the Rangers couldn’t extend their lead before the power play expired.
The game remained 1-0 entering the second period, but the Panthers were assertive in the early moments. Shesterkin came out of the goalie crease, made a save, got back into the crease, and made another.
Florida received a power play opportunity 6:42 into the second period after Ryan Lindgren was called for holding. Although they didn’t get a power-play goal, after Lindgren left the penalty box, Sam Bennett snuck the puck into the net off a rebound seconds later, and the Panthers tied the game at 1-1.
The Panthers again had an extra man advantage at 10:59 after Barclay Goodrow was penalized for delay of game after he sent the puck out of play. Carter Verhaeghe made the Rangers pay, and the Panthers went up 2-1 after his backhand goal got past Shesterkin.
The Rangers received a power play and a chance to tie the game at 14:36 after Gustav Forsling tripped Chris Kreider. The Blueshirts registered two shots but were unable to tie the game.
Florida continued to lead 2-1 at the start of the third period until Lafrenière knocked in a rebound on a backhanded shot from Fox to tie the game 2-2. The Rangers’ defense continues to get in the way of several Panthers shots. With 5:39 remaining in regulation, the Rangers had 25 blocked shots to the Panthers’ eight.
“We defended hard and had some looks,” Fox said. “I thought in the first, we played really well. They had their push, but I thought we fought hard.
The two teams couldn’t win the game in regulation and went to overtime, just like in Games 2 and 3. Less than a minute into overtime, Wheeler was sent to the penalty box after he hooked Barkov.
It only took 13 seconds for Reinhart to slap the puck past Shesterkin for the game-winner.
“You want to play the game 5-on-5 as much as you can,” Fox said. “I thought we were able to capitalize on the power play too. That’s part of the game. That penalty, you want to kill those off and respond, but they got a power play, they capitalize and credit to them.”
Early in the third period, Lindgren was in a lot of pain on the Rangers’ bench. He eventually headed to the locker room but returned to the game.
Game 5 will return to Madison Garden Square on Thursday at 8 p.m., and Game 6 will be back in Sunrise on Saturday night. Either the Rangers or the Panthers will have a chance to win the Prince of Wales Trophy on Saturday, which is awarded to the Eastern Conference champion.