Goalie Igor Shesterkin steals playoff game for Rangers vs. Panthers

Igor Shesterkin's sensational saves helped the Rangers beat the Panthers in Game 3 of the ECF playoff series

Thoroughly outplayed and dominated for the large majority of the game by the Florida Panthers, the New York Rangers rode the sensational goaltending of Igor Shesterkin to secure a 5-4 overtime victory in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Panthers attempted 108 shots in the game compared to 44 for the Rangers, but New York won the game when Alex Wennberg deflected in a point shot from Ryan Lindgren at the 5:35 mark of the overtime period. Surprisingly, the Florida defense left Wennberg wide open in front of Sergei Bobrovsky, and as Lindgren’s shot went towards the Panther’s goal, the deflection went into the upper corner of the net.

The victory in Sunrise, Florida set off a huge celebration for Rangers fans at a watch party in Central Park. The fans, the players and the Rangers coaching staff know they have Shesterkin to thank for the victory. He saved 34 of the 38 shots that he faced, and that included an onslaught in the third period.

The Rangers took a 4-2 lead into the third period, and appeared to be in excellent shape to secure the victory. However, the Panthers turned up the intensity in the third period and simply dominated the action. Aleksander Barkov and Gustav Forsling scored in the first seven minutes of the third period to tie the game for the Panthers, and Florida dominated the rest of the period.

“They really had quite a push after they tied the game in the third period,” Lindgren said. “But we survived and got it to overtime. Our leaders helped us regroup, and we knew anything could happen in overtime.”

Rangers move to 4-0 in playoff OT

New York Rangers coach Peter Laviolette explained that Florida dominated throughout the third period. “That third period was their best period of the series,” Laviolette said. “They came out and got the goals they needed and the building was alive. Shesty (Shesterkin) made a couple of big saves along the way and we got through it.”

“The third period was tough. We were chasing it, but we found a way.”

New York had to withstand Florida’s huge push, and that included 20 shot attempts and 7 shots on goal by Carter Verhaeghe. Matthew Tkachuk also had 7 shots on goal, while Sasha Barkov had 5  and Evan Rodrigues added 4 for the Panthers.

Rangers center Vincent Trocheck credited Shesterkin with being the player of the game. “He was our best player tonight,” Trocheck said during a postgame interview on the NHL Network. “When you have a guy back there like that, you have a lot of confidence in him. He stole this game late.”

The Rangers and Panthers seemed to play an even first period, while New York appeared to have an edge in the second period. However, the third period was total domination by the Panthers.

The Rangers got a pair of goals from both Alexis Lafreniere and Barclay Goodrow. Lafreniere’s second goal at the 15:23 mark of the second period was a brilliant rush and forehand-backhand move that beat Bobrovsky. Goodrow’s second goal was a shorthanded blast that went over Bobrovsky’s glove hand at the 18:14 mark of the second frame.

The two teams will meet in Game 4 Tuesday night in Sunrise.