The Florida Panthers and New York Rangers returned to the ice at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night for Game 5. In perfect alignment with the rest of the evenly contested 2024 Eastern Conference Finals series, the game entered the third period tied at two in a series that is knotted up at the same figure.
After the Game 1 shutout from the Panthers, every other game has required overtime. So, why wouldn’t Game 5 enter the final frame with a razor-thin margin for error? The advantage in the series hung in the balance as anxious hockey fans looked on from Madison Square Garden.
Game 5 Tied Late In Fitting Fashion
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The first 10 minutes of the third period somehow seemed even faster than the breakneck pace that the games between Florida and New York have already been. Shortly after the midway point of the final regulation period, the Rangers watched their home-ice advantage slip away like the puck that wiggled through the arms of Shesterkin past the thin red goal line.
Anton Lundell scored his first goal of the series at 10:22 of the third period to give the Panthers the 3-2 lead. Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin sat on the ice for longer than usual likely wishing he had squeezed his arms just a little bit tighter to his body. Florida scored an empty net goal to make the score 4-2 before New York’s Alexis Lafreniere pulled the Blueshirts closer with a goal under a minute to play.
It was not enough as Sergei Bobrovsky secured the final seconds to secure Game 5 for the Florida Panthers. New York bench boss Peter Laviolette, felt the game could have gone either way with a few different bounces of the hockey puck.
“We need to capitalize on some of the ones (chances) that we did generate and we weren’t able to do that tonight,” he said. “It was like I said, it was tight. The game was tight. I thought we had looks and I thought we had chances and they didn’t go in. Came down to one goal.”
Florida Panthers Close To Returning To Stanley Cup Finals
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With the positive result in Game 5 at MSG, the Florida Panthers are one step away from returning to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second season in a row. Last year, the Cats shocked many in the hockey industry in a run to the last round of the playoffs. Unfortunately for Florida, the postseason ended abruptly with a five-game series loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Florida surprised no one this season as they dominated from October onward to finish as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. The Panthers finished ahead of the Boston Bruins by 1 point in the Atlantic Division standings with a 52-24-6 regular season record.
History For Both Teams At ‘The World’s Most Famous Arena’
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With the win in Game 5, Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky secured his 40th career playoff victory matching Marc-Andre Fleury (92), Andrei Vasilvesky (66), and Jonathan Quick (49). All three of the goalies on that list have names engraved on Lord Stanley’s Cup, while Bobrovsky hopes for another chance at that highest honor.
For the New York Rangers, Chris Kreider finally scored his first goal of the series with a short-handed goal in the first period. With the special teams score, Kreider joined Rangers legend, Mark Messier, atop the Blueshirts record books with his third career shortie in the postseason for New York. With the drop of the puck in Game 5, Kreider tied Dan Girardi for most games played (122) as a skater for the Rangers. Goaltender Henrik Lundquist leads the way with 130 postseason appearances for the Original Six franchise.
In order for Kreider to have a shot at reaching King Henrik’s mark this year, the captain will need some help from his Blueshirted friends. The Rangers have put themselves in an uncomfortable position facing postseason elimination for the first time after the loss in Game 5. All-Star defenseman Adam Fox indicated the Rangers’ belief has not wavered as they had back to South Florida on Saturday night.
“A lot of confidence,” Fox said. “Backs against the wall here. We are a pretty resilient group. I think we have responded well all year to situations where we want to get a win. Obviously, season on the line going there. … Just need to get the win there.”
About the Author
Christopher Babos is a genuine sports & entertainment journalist with diverse credentials in writing, broadcasting, and digital media. He can be located on X for real-time takes (@CBabosWrites). With various roles in the sports industry over two decades, Chris can speak with authority on the topics he covers. Additional insightful sports articles are located here.
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