A scoreless stalemate was shattered in the third period as the Rangers secured a rare home win, leaving the Panthers searching for answers after a tough New York road trip.
The Florida Panthers are slowly but surely nearing the finish line to a forgettable season.
Playing their second road game in as many afternoons, Florida matched up with the New York Rangers for a fun little Sunday matinee in Manhattan.
Offense came at a premium at Madison Square Garden, with the Cats and Rangers carrying a scoreless game into the third period until the two teams finally squeaked a few goals in.
Ultimately the Rangers picked up a rare win on home ice, defeating the Panthers 3-1.
It wasn’t until about five minutes had passed in the third period that we finally saw the game’s first goal.
Rangers defenseman Adam Fox picked up the puck at the Florida blue line and walked a few feet toward the net before firing a wrist shot that was deflected by Adam Sykora on his way past Sergei Bobrovsky.
The goal was Sykora’s second of the season, and his second in his past three games.
Connor Sheary made it 2-0 Rangers with a shorthanded tally at the 11:14 mark, then Fox sealed the win with an empty-net goal that came with 3:54 to go in the game.
Youngster Mackie Samoskevich ruined Igor Shesterkin’s shutout bid with 41 seconds to go, but overall, it was a good day for the home team, and a step in the right direction in terms of the Panthers pushing to keep their top-10 protected lottery pick in this summer’s draft.
On to the Senators.
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Photo caption: Mar 29, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Florida Panthers center Carter Verhaeghe (23) and New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox (23) battle for the puck during the second period at Madison Square Garden. (Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images)