Panthers defenseman Gus Forsling speaks after Florida's practice on Dec. 29. The Florida Panthers got back in the win column on Monday night in Sunrise. Facing a floundering New York Rangers squad, Florida bounced back from their own recent struggles and took down the Rangers 5-3 at Amerant Bank Arena. After suffering consecutive shutout losses, the Panthers were quick to get on the board against the Rangers. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNjE3OTM2NjIzMjQ4NDky/img_6014.jpg] A failed clearing attempt after a shot by Sam Bennett found Gus Forsling’s stick at the New York blue line. His long wrister was deflected home by Eetu Luostarinen, putting the Cats up 1-0 just 3:04 into the game. Just over two minutes later, a Dmitry Kulikov shot deflected by Mackie Samoskevich went bar down behind Igor Shesterkin to give Florida a 2-0 lead at the 5:19 mark. That’s how the score would remain until late in the second period, thanks mostly to some great play in goal by Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Filip Chytil rushed the puck into Florida’s zone and then crashed the net, jumping on a rebound and beating Bobrovsky five hole to get the Rangers on the board. A nice deflection by Ryan Lindgren off an Adam Fox point shot tied the game less than two minutes later, a play that came immediately after a no-call on Matthew Tkachuk when he was cross-checked behind the Rangers net by Chris Kreider. The tie didn’t last. Florida’s third line rushed into the Rangers zone and Jesper Boqvist grabbed a rebound off an Anton Lundell wraparound and fired it into an open net, giving the Panthers the lead right back. Chris Kreider tied the game at three just over five minutes into the third period after finding room in the slot on the power play. Another rush by the Lundell line led to Florida’ fourth goal of the game. Shesterkin stopped Boqvist’s initial shot off the rush, but he would jump all over the rebound of a point shot by his brother Adam and put the Panthers back in front. An excellent penalty kill in the final minutes by Florida led to an empty net goal by Sasha Barkov to seal the victory. Bobrovsky finished with 33 saves, including six high danger saves. On to the Hurricanes. QUICK THOUGHTS Uvis Balinskis logged a pair of assists, the second multi-point effort of his NHL career. He also had a pair of helpers against Nashville back on Nov. 7. Anton Lundell is up to 16 assists through 37 games. His career high in helpers was his rookie season when he logged 26. Samoskevich has scored twice in six game and is up to seven on the season. Jesper Boqvist is also up to seven goals after scoring twice Monday. He’s now got three goals and four points over his past four games. LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Panthers look to rebound from frustrating loss, welcome struggling Rangers to town [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-look-to-rebound-from-frustrating-loss-welcome-struggling-rangers-to-town] Three takeaways: Panthers couldn't get into gear, goals suddenly hard to come by [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/three-takeaways-panthers-couldnt-get-into-gear-goals-suddenly-hard-to-come-by] Holiday hangover? Panthers blanked by Montreal 4-0 [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/holiday-hangover-panthers-blanked-by-montreal-4-0] Young goaltenders lock horns as Panthers, Canadiens meet in Sunrise [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/young-goaltenders-lock-horns-as-panthers-canadiens-meet-in-sunrise] Practice notebook: Panthers return from holiday break healthier, motivated group [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/practice-notebook-panthers-return-from-holiday-break-healthier-motivated-group] Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNjQxMjA5NjI4NzMxMDIz/unnamed.jpg]
