The Florida Panthers were back on the road for Game 5 of their Eastern Conference Finals series against the New York Rangers. After each team split their home games in the first four contests, Game 5 was a pivotal matchup.
Just as the case has been all series, this was a close, hard-fought game between two very good teams. The first goal of the game was scored by the Rangers in the second period, a short-handed goal by Chris Kreider.
The Panthers did not waiver after that, as Gustav Forsling scored just over six minutes later to tie the game up. The score remained 1-1 heading into the third period, where Florida took full control.
The more physical and aggressive team, the Florida Panthers manhandled the Rangers in the final period. Their style of play finally paid off just over halfway into the period when New York had a costly turnover.
Eetu Loustarinen picked up the puck and found Anton Lundell ahead of the pack. He was skating ahead with Vladimir Tarasenko, who filled the middle and went right toward the net. Lundell fired a shot, which looked to be deflected by Tarasenko at first, that got behind Igor Shesterkin.
Replays showed Tarasenko didn’t make contact with he puck, but his presence likely impacted Shesterkin from making the save. “We had chance after chance and just kept grinding,” said Lundell. “We had some great chances. Finally we got the goal.”
With 1:52 remaining, Sam Bennett scored an empty net goal to give the Florida Panthers a 3-1 lead. That ended up being the game-winning goal, as Alexis Lafreniere scored a goal with 50 seconds remaining to get the Rangers back within one.
With a 3-2 series lead, the Florida Panthers are one victory away from heading to the Stanley Cup Finals for a second consecutive season. Last year, they lost to the Vegas Golden Knights. But, the team knows the job isn’t done yet, as Bennett said they are focused on one game at a time.
“I think it helps a lot,” Bennett said. “Just to know the grind. How hard it is. How much it takes to have success — to make it this far — it takes a lot. We learned a lot last year.”
Game 6 is set to be played in Florida on Saturday night. Should the Rangers win and force a Game 7, the series will shift back to Madison Square Garden for the winner-take-all matchup.
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