The Florida Panthers have been in a position to lastly break via in opposition to New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin on Tuesday night time, choosing up a large 3-2 extra time win in Recreation 4 of the Japanese Convention Closing.
Sam Reinhart’s power-play purpose just a bit a couple of minute into the extra time interval was the distinction within the recreation and allowed the Panthers to tie the collection at two video games apiece as if shifts again to Madison Sq. Backyard in New York Metropolis on Thursday night time.
Listed below are three key takeaways from Tuesday’s recreation.
1. Sam Reinhart retains making himself some main cash
Reinhart has had one of many biggest seasons within the historical past of the Panthers franchise, and he continued it on Tuesday by scoring one of many crew’s largest targets of the season.
That purpose is Reinhart’s eighth of the playoffs, and after scoring 57 targets in the course of the common season he’s now as much as 65 targets in 97 video games between the common season and playoffs.
It couldn’t have come at a greater time for him as he’s set to be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Getting traded to Florida from Buffalo a few years in the past turned out to be a career-changing second for him as he has fully damaged out with the Panthers and grow to be a bonafide offensive star.
2. Igor Shesterkin gave the Rangers an opportunity
Recreation 4 was the third consecutive extra time recreation within the collection, and there’s one important purpose that it made it that far — Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin.
Shesterkin was one of many few Rangers gamers that was on their recreation on Tuesday night time, stopping 37 out of 40 pictures within the recreation. It was not simply the variety of saves he made that was vital for the Rangers. It was additionally the kind of saves.
The Rangers have been caught in their very own zone for a lot of the night time, struggling to clear the puck, consistently turning it over, and having a number of defensive breakdowns that gave the Panthers clear seems to be and odd-man rushes. For essentially the most half, Shesterkin did every little thing he may to maintain his crew within the recreation and provides it an opportunity.
If Shesterkin had merely been peculiar or common on this recreation the Rangers may need misplaced in regulation by a number of targets.
3. The Panthers have been the higher crew to date within the collection
Despite the fact that the collection is tied two video games a chunk, the Panthers actually appeared to start out tilting the ice of their favor in Video games 3 and 4 of the collection. Throughout 5-on-5 play they tried 70% of the full shot makes an attempt and held a commanding edge by way of scoring probabilities and zone time. Within the first 4 video games total they’ve managed almost 60% of the anticipated targets throughout 5-on-5 play.
The one factor that has stored the Panthers from taking full management of the collection by way of wins has been the play of Shesterkin and the Rangers getting a few extra time targets in Video games 2 and three. If the Rangers aren’t in a position to begin dictating the tempo of the sport slightly extra they will want Shesterkin to maintain enjoying like he’s superman to have an opportunity.
The excellent news for them is that he’s completely able to doing that over the subsequent two or three video games. It’s simply not the very best recipe for achievement to be that depending on a goalie within the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
