Rangers Top Panthers in Overtime After Tying Game in Final Seconds
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SUNRISE, Fla. – Petr Prucha scored the only goal in the shootout to give the Rangers a 4-3 victory over the Florida Panthers last night.
Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist stopped all four shots by the Panthers in the shootout. Florida’s Roberto Luongo stopped Martin Straka, Michael Nylander, and Jaromir Jagr before Prucha scored with a wrist shot over his glove.
Center Dominic Moore tied the game 4-4 for the Rangers with three seconds left in the third period. Steve Rucchin and Straka also scored for the Rangers, who began a five-game road trip, their longest of the season.
Stephen Weiss, Olli Jokinen, and Anthony Stewart scored for Florida, which was playing at home for the first time since October 20. The Panthers had to postpone two home games because of Hurricane Wilma.
Florida, which had played its previous six games on the road, has lost six straight (0-3-3).
Lundqvist stopped 38 shots in regulation and overtime, while Luongo made 37 saves.
The Panthers appeared ready to take a 3-2 victory when Moore’s backhanded pass from behind the net went off Luongo’s blocker.
Jokinen had given Florida a 3-2 lead with a power-play goal at 13:56 of the second period when he beat Lundqvist with a wrist shot from the side.
The Panthers came close to adding to their lead in the third period when both Weiss and Jokinen hit the post on power plays.
Weiss had given the Panthers a 2-1 lead 41 seconds into the second period when he took advantage of a defensive breakdown to skate untouched past the blue line and beat Lundqvist with a wrist shot.
Straka tied the game 50 seconds later when he grabbed a loose puck at the faceoff circle and beat Luongo with a wrist shot.
Rucchin opened the scoring at 4:56 of the opening period when he beat Luongo from the just outside the crease after he had stopped Straka’s wrist shot from the point.