Rangers win Game 2 in overtime, series tied at 1-1

Barclay Goodrow scored the overtime winner as the New York Rangers defeated the Florida Panthers 2-1, tying up the series at 1-1. 

After losing Game 1 at home on Wednesday night, the Rangers knew they had to be better from the jump and they stuck to that plan. 

Vincent Trocheck got the Rangers on the board for the first time in the series just 4:12 into the game, when he beat Sergei Borbrovsky for his seventh goal of the playoffs. 

Trocheck leads the Rangers with 15 postseason points.

After going down, Florida picked up their pace and would begin to tilt the ice in their favor as the first intermission approached. 

With 1:51 left to go in the opening period, the Panthers would get on the board. 

Carter Verhaeghe beat Igor Shesterkin for career playoff goal number 23 — tying the game at 1-1. 

While both teams lit the lamp in the opening 20, the two goaltenders would slam the door shut for the next two periods and overtime would ensue. 

“I thought our guys did a great job again. They defend, they work hard,” said Sergei Bobrovsky, who finished with 28 saves in the loss. “It’s a tight game, it’s a one goal game. So we keep going.”

In the extra period, the Rangers had a good push in the opening minute, generating a few quality chances before the two sides tightened up. 

Towards the end of overtime, Rangers captain Jacob Trouba long flipped the puck out of the zone to Barclay Goodrow. 

Goodrow and Trocheck fed a give-and-go on the zone entry before Goodrow buried his fourth goal of the playoffs for the overtime winner. 

This was a huge win for the Rangers, who were at risk of going down 0-2, with the next two games on the road.

“After Game 5 (against Boston) I was some kind of sour with the way we played… I’m fine with tonight,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. “You shouldn’t come in and beat the Presidents’ Trophy team twice in their own building, you really shouldn’t. We got that one to overtime.”

The series transitions over to Sunrise for games 3 and 4 — with Game 3 on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET at Amerant Bank Arena.