The New York Rangers would have been in a world of trouble had they been heading to Florida down 2-0 in the 2024 Eastern Conference Final. Instead, the Blueshirts are going south tied 1-1 after Barclay Goodrow played hero at Madison Square Garden on Friday night, scoring the overtime winner to secure a 2-1 victory over the Panthers in Game 2.
“I don't know. I just try to bring my best game, every night,” Goodrow told reporters shortly after the clutch goal, per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. “It feels good whenever you can do something to help the team.”
Goodrow took a nice pass from Vincent Trocheck with just under six minutes remaining in the extra frame, before ripping a shot over the blocker of Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. The Russian has been exceptional in the series, but not even he could save the hard rising wrister.
“I guess I don't really remember exactly how it went in, but I just remember Troch made a great pass to me,” Goodrow said of the goal. “Cools was driving the net, opening up the lane. So it was a great play by those two.”
The 31-year-old Toronto native just seems to up his game when it counts the most. Goodrow chipped in just four goals in 80 regular-season games — and was often met with criticism from Rangers faithful — but he's already equaled that in just 12 postseason contests.
He's been excellent throughout the playoffs, and his teammates are taking notice.
“He's one of those guys that gets teams to win. He's a big-time player who shows up in big-time games,” said captain Jacob Trouba, per Wyshynski.
“Oh yeah. Goody's that guy,” echoed forward Matt Rempe, who re-entered the lineup in Game 2. “Oh my gosh. That was unbelievable. That was an absolute snipe by him.”
Even the head coach is taking notice of Goodrow's elevated postseason play.
“To see him score a goal like tonight is awesome, because his role doesn't always consist of that,” said Peter Laviolette. “When you see somebody who does so many other things that helps the team be successful, you're really happy for a guy like that when you see him make a huge impact on the game.”
Barclay Goodrow gets Rangers back in the series
Igor Shesterkin, who shut the door to the tune of 26 saves on 27 shots, might have said it best about Goodrow's contributions.
“Maybe for you he's up and down,” he said regarding the fair share of criticism the forward received during the 2023-24 regular-season. “But for me, he's always on the top.”
Goodrow just knows how to succeed in the postseason. He has two Stanley Cups under his belt, won with a powerhouse Tampa Bay Lightning team in 2020 and 2021. And they were two wins away from making it a threepeat. Goodrow was a big part of all three of those teams, and he genuinely looks like a different player once the playoffs get going.
The former Brampton Batallion forward signed a six-year, $21.85 million pact with the Rangers in July of 2021, and he's earning every cent of it. And the Rangers are back in the series, without home-ice advantage but with an opportunity to take their first lead in the best-of-7 on Sunday afternoon in Sunrise.
Puck drops just past 3:00 p.m. ET at Amerant Bank Arena.
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