The Florida Panthers couldnB次元官网网址檛 have asked for a better scenario. Sam Reinhart, alone in the slot, on the power play.

Game over. Series tied.

Reinhart B次元官网网址� the NHLB次元官网网址檚 power-play goal leader this year B次元官网网址� and most important goal of the season 1:12 into overtime, and the Panthers topped the New York Rangers 3-2 on Tuesday night, evening the Eastern Conference final at two games apiece.

B次元官网网址淚f heB次元官网网址檚 open, obviously, we want to look for him,B次元官网网址� said Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, who set Reinhart up for the game-winner.

With good reason. Reinhart has 31 goals with the man advantage this year, connecting on 32 per cent of his power-play shots.

B次元官网网址淚 saw him wide open there, and I was pretty confident he was putting that one in,B次元官网网址� Florida forward Carter Verhaeghe said. B次元官网网址淗e has an awesome shot and obviously he made no mistake on that one, and it was awesome.B次元官网网址�

It was the third straight OT game in the series, and the first one that the Panthers scored in the extra session. And on a night when it took a bounce off a skate and then a baseball swing to give Florida its first two goals of Game 4, the finish was picture-perfect for Florida.

Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett also scored for Florida, which got 21 saves B次元官网网址� and an assist B次元官网网址� from Sergei Bobrovsky.

Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreni猫re scored for the Rangers, and Igor Shesterkin stopped 37 shots.

Game 5 is Thursday in New York, where the teams split the opening two matchups in this series. Game 6 will be Saturday in Sunrise, and the Prince of Wales Trophy B次元官网网址� awarded to the East champs B次元官网网址� will be in attendance that night.

B次元官网网址淥verall, not the result we wanted,B次元官网网址� Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 the best out of three. We go home and try to take care of Game 5.B次元官网网址�

for the Rangers since mid-February, was called for hooking Barkov 59 seconds into the extra session. And it didnB次元官网网址檛 take long for the Panthers to cash in, with Barkov setting up Reinhart in front.

Rangers defenceman Adam Fox defended Wheeler, who basically had no chance with Barkov skating in alone on Shesterkin.

B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 think it was a bad penalty to take. They have a good power play and they capitalized,B次元官网网址� Fox said.

midway through the second period, on a second effort. His first shot got past Shesterkin, but not into the net B次元官网网址� and Bennett, who followed the shot, managed to get to the puck before anyone else. He knocked it off the back of the goalieB次元官网网址檚 skate and barely across the goal line.

And 3 1/2 minutes later, Florida had the lead on a

Matthew Tkachuk centred the puck from the right corner, and it deflected off Rangers defenceman Ryan LindgrenB次元官网网址檚 stick. Airborne, it bounced off Shesterkin, then off LindgrenB次元官网网址檚 upper body B次元官网网址� and Verhaeghe, with more of a baseball swing than anything else, batted it out of the air for a 2-1 Florida edge.

B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 even know what it hit,B次元官网网址� Verhaeghe said.

Including playoffs, over the last two seasons, Florida entered Tuesday with an NHL-best record of 81-2-6 in games where it led after 40 minutes.

A neat spin move from Fox got him the puck on the left side of the crease and he tapped it home with 16:32 left for his third goal in the last two games.

The rest of regulation was wild. Back and forth, play more often resembling a 3-on-3 regular season overtime than anything else, going end to end B次元官网网址� Bobrovsky making some point-blank stops, Shesterkin once again getting peppered just as he was late in Game 3 to no Florida avail.

And for the third straight game, to OT they went.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 a pretty desperate team,B次元官网网址� Rangers captain Jacob Trouba said. B次元官网网址淲e have to find an ability to raise to that level.B次元官网网址�

with a power-play tally, on a play where he won a faceoff, moved into the high slot, waited for a centring pass from Artemi Panarin and ripped a perfect shot B次元官网网址� an inch or two past the right side of BobrovskyB次元官网网址檚 head, kissing it off the bottom of the crossbar and into the goal.

So, the crossbar giveth on that Rangers power play. It taketh away on the next one, when the game of inches went the PanthersB次元官网网址� way.

New York had Florida reeling later in the first period, when Brandon Montour was in the box for cross-checking. Zibanejad was alone on the left side of the crease and shot toward a ton of open net, but the puck hit BobrovskyB次元官网网址檚 shoulder, B次元官网网址� and this time, bounced back into the crease, just off the goal line as the Panthers remained down only 1-0.

B次元官网网址淲e have a good feeling,B次元官网网址� Bobrovsky said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e got good belief, good trust in each other here. WeB次元官网网址檝e got great atmosphere. And, yeah, itB次元官网网址檚 a fun challenge.B次元官网网址�

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