Florida had several players step up in the faceoff circle, helping earn a key victory on Tuesday
The Florida Panthers are two wins away from reaching the Stanley Cup Final.
And so are the New York Rangers.
Florida played its best game of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday, defeating the Rangers 3-2 in overtime to tie the series at two games apiece.
Now the scene shifts back to New York City, where it’s now a best-of-3 for a right to play for Lord Stanley’s Cup.
Let’s jump right into the Game 4 takeaways.
Tentative at the start
Florida may have played an excellent Game 4, but it didn’t show during the first period.
They weren’t bad, but they weren’t particularly good either.
The Cats were out-possessed, out-shot, out-chanced and ultimately outscored, but they were only down 1-0 after one.
Things changed pretty quickly once the second period arrived, though.
“The first (period) I thought we were tight, that's the best way I can describe it,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “Both teams want it so bad, having invested so much hard work to get there. I just thought we were tight, and then after the first, we just played. It wasn't more coaching, it would be less. I don't have a better explanation for it. I don't think I wind them up hard before a game. You never know what your impact is, but that was my conversation after the first, I thought we were tight and we don’t play that way.
Faceoff heroics
Several Panthers players came up with big nights in the faceoff circle, including a few who you may not have expected it from.
Steven Lorentz was a healthy scratch during the first three games of the series but showed up in a big way in Game 4, winning six of his seven draws.
Lorentz, Anton Lundell, Evan Rodrigues and Sam Reinhart combined to win 25 of their 33 faceoffs.
“Having people that you trust, on the strong and weak side, is very important,” Maurice said.
Lots to like
Overall, if you’re the Panthers, you are probably feeling pretty good after Game 4.
Florida has arguably been the better team through four games, but the Rangers, while earning fewer scoring opportunities than the Panthers, are making the most of them.
That fact, combined with the utter brilliance of Igor Shesterkin, has made the series extremely tight despite the disparity in statistics.
“We're playing as hard as we can,” Maurice said. “The bench is right; the mood is right. Now we're just playing hockey, and they enjoy the hell out of it. It's the best part of your year.”
LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA
