The Florida Panthers entered overtime in Game 2 with confidence. They played well against the New York Rangers on Friday night. The game was certainly intense, but they had history on their side. Heroic efforts from the likes of Oliver Ekman-Larsson certainly helped their cause. But, in the end, New York forward Barclay Goodrow ended the game.
Goodrow scored the overtime winner on Friday night. The Rangers won the game 2-1 as a result. The 2024 Eastern Conference Finals now shift back to Florida with the series tied up. But it also snapped an impressive winning streak. Florida had won their last 11 playoff overtime games, according to Colby Guy of The Associated Press. The streak dated back to 2016.
Florida had played just one overtime game this postseason prior to Friday. That contest took place in the first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Florida got a goal from forward Carter Verhaeghe to help the Panthers take a 2-0 series lead. They would eventually eliminate the Lightning in five games.
Rangers down Panthers in extra time
The Rangers needed a spark after their loss in Game 1 on Wednesday. They ended up getting just what they needed around five minutes into the contest. New York forward Vincent Trocheck scored to give his team the 1-0 lead. However, that sparked a big brawl between the two teams.
The game remained intense through the first period. And Florida thrives in that sort of environment. They were able to find enough space for Verhaeghe to score on the power play before the end of the first period. Following that goal, neither team was able to break through during regulation.
As a result, an extra period of hockey was required. The action went back and forth, with multiple players preventing goals in miraculous ways. For instance. Oliver Ekman-Larsson used his backside to prevent the Rangers from scoring. In the end, though, the Rangers had the last laugh.
Barclay Goodrow received the puck from a feed from Trocheck. The Blueshirts veteran fired a shot past Sergei Bobrovsky and into the net. He celebrated with his teammates as the Madison Square Garden crowd erupted. New York has now tied the series at one game apiece.
Paul Maurice speaks after Game 2 loss
Panthers head coach Paul Maurice is always one for a wisecrack or joke. Of course, there are times when he puts on a serious face for the media. But the Florida bench boss is usually good for an all-time quote here and there. Despite the loss on Friday night, Maurice had a humorous comment in him.
The Panthers head coach was asked about the Barclay Goodrow goal. However, Maurice didn't answer the question directly. Instead, he told the media that he had not seen the goal that tied the Eastern Conference Finals clash with the Rangers.
“I don’t know if you’ve been to the maze down here, but our video guy is three zip codes away from our locker room because somebody needed popcorn. So, I haven’t seen my video guy. Not sure he still works for us,” the Panthers head coach joked, via Guy, after Game 2.
Whether Maurice is being genuine here is anyone's guess. In any event, he doesn't have a ton of time to get his team prepared for the next contest. Florida heads home to play host to the Rangers on Sunday night with puck drop currently scheduled for 3 PM Eastern Time.
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