National Hockey League
Florida 3, NY Rangers 2
When: 7:00 PM ET, Sunday, November 20, 2016
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Referees: Brad Meier, Kendrick Nicholson
Linesmen: Tim Nowak, Tony Sericolo
Attendance: 18006

NEW YORK -- Halfway through the game Sunday, the Florida Panthers looked every bit like a team that had played the night before. They were being outshot by a 2-to-1 margin and weren't generating any consistent offense against the New York Rangers.

Thanks to the impressive goaltending of James Reimer and some fancy stickwork in the shootout by Aleksander Barkov, the Panthers rallied for a 3-2 victory at Madison Square Garden.

Center Mika Zibanejad, who suffered a frightening injury early in overtime and will miss 6-to-8 weeks with a broken fibula that resulted from crashing into the boards, gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead early in the third period when a pass by Mats Zuccarello bounced off his skate and into the net. With the way the Rangers (13-5-1) have been playing this season, that's usually been enough to translate into a victory.

But defenseman Aaron Ekblad responded with a fluky goal six minutes later that tied the score at 2. Barkov dangled to score a one-handed goal to seal the shootout win, and Reimer stopped every shot he faced the rest of the way to cap a 33-save performance.

"Last game of the road trip on a back to back, I thought we battled hard," Reimer said. "It's a tough game to play and I thought we played great as a team. We didn't look tired; we looked like we had legs. That's a good team over there and we were able to match their effort."

The Panthers (10-8-1) completed their four-game road trip with a 3-1-1 mark and handed the Rangers a second consecutive loss for the first time this season.

It was also a happy homecoming for Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle, who scored his first goal of the season with 5:17 left in the second period to tie the game at 1. Yandle spent the past two seasons with the Rangers and signed a seven-year contract with the Panthers this past summer.

"They're a good team," Yandle said. "They were on a long road trip and to play at home again is a tough one to play. They're a big, fast team and we played a good game tonight."

The Rangers just completed a 3-1-0 road trip and looked sharp at the outset, especially when a streaking left winger Chris Kreider beat Reimer with a short-side shot to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead with 6:45 remaining in the first period. But as the game wore on, the Panthers began exerting themselves and the Rangers never fully recovered.

"A point is always a point; we were looking to get two," said Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who stopped 28 shots. "I thought after the start we had, especially in the first, we had a good feeling. It felt like a game we could win. I think the second half of the game they started to play better, more speed and they kept coming to the net a lot more."

Rangers left winger Rick Nash had a chance to put the Rangers ahead 3-2 late in the third period, but a lunging Reimer got just enough of Nash's shot toward a gaping net to deflect the puck wide.

After five minutes of overtime, Barkov and Trocheck delivered in the shootout.

"They played real well and that's the way we need them to play the rest of the season," Panthers coach Gerard Gallant said. "The guys had a great game tonight and the guys we've counted on the last two years stepped up tonight and played the best game of their year, probably."

NOTES: Panthers D Keith Yandle played in his first game against the Rangers since leaving New York to sign with Florida during the offseason. ... Panthers D Dylan McIlrath, who was traded to Florida from New York earlier this month, was a healthy scratch. ... Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist played his 700th career game. He is the 12th Ranger to reach that mark and only the fifth goaltender in NHL history to play 700 games with one team. ... Rangers LW Pavel Buchnevich missed his fourth straight game with a back injury. He is scheduled to have an MRI exam on Monday. ... Rangers C Oscar Lindberg and D Adam Clendening were scratched.
Top Game Performances
 
Florida   NY Rangers
Vincent Trocheck 2 Points Chris Kreider 1
Aaron Ekblad 1 Goals Chris Kreider 1
Vincent Trocheck 2 Assists Marc Staal 1
Keith Yandle 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
James Reimer .943 Save Percentage Henrik Lundqvist .933
James Reimer 33 Saves Henrik Lundqvist 28
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Florida 30 3 1-4 3-3 6 36
NY Rangers 35 2 0-3 3-4 8 34
Upcoming Games
  • NY Rangers will play their next game on the road against Pittsburgh. The Rangers have a W/L % of .615 after a win and .833 after a loss.
  • Florida will play their next game at home against Philadelphia. The Panthers have a W/L % of .400 after a win and .667 after a loss.