The series moves to Sunrise, and fans finally witnessed a goal-filled affair in this matchup. However, those who came to support the Florida Panthers left disappointed. Another overtime, another win for the New York Rangers. The Blueshirts reclaimed home-ice advantage in a highly contentious contest. The series itself has been contradictory so far. Overall, the Panthers have held a significant edge in play throughout nearly every game. In Game 3, that dominance was total at times. Over three periods, they amassed nearly 100 shot attempts, almost three times as many as their opponents. According to stats, such a disparity in a conference final game hadn’t been seen since 2010. Florida created more scoring chances. In the third period, they pinned the Rangers in their own zone for long stretches and should have netted the winner, but Igor Shesterkin stood tall, forcing overtime.

While the Panthers led in nearly every key statistical category, the Rangers controlled the scoreboard. The first goal came just three minutes into the game on a power play, as Sam Reinhart fired from close range with an awkward-handed shot past Shesterkin. But Alexis Lafrenière quickly answered during a delayed penalty, breaking in almost alone on Sergei Bobrovsky and beating him with a similar awkward-handed shot under the crossbar. Just 26 seconds later, the visitors were ahead. Game 2 hero Barclay Goodrow redirected a shot from Braden Schneider. Florida tied the score before the interbreak on another power play. Matt Rempe’s penalty was the third for his team, prompting Peter Laviolette to bench the rookie afterward. Sam Reinhart scored again for the Panthers, aided by a deflection off Jacob Trouba. Four goals before the first intermission, compared to the six total goals the teams managed over two games in New York.

The second period belonged to the Rangers, who scored twice within three minutes. Lafrenière created a small masterpiece, skating the length of the ice, eluding defenders, and beating Bobrovsky. Soon after, Jacob Trouba received a double-minor penalty. The Panthers couldn’t capitalize; in fact, they gave up a shorthanded goal, with Goodrow completing his own double. In these playoffs, the Rangers have now netted five shorthanded goals, while all other teams combined have seven. Meanwhile, one of New York’s biggest weapons—power-play efficiency—has completely disappeared.

In the third period, the Panthers dominated again, converting that pressure into two goals from Aleksander Barkov and Gustav Forsling. At one point, Laviolette was forced to call a timeout. The Rangers held the fort, and in overtime, Alexander Wennberg perfectly deflected a shot from Ryan Lindgren at the crease. We await the continuation of this thrilling series.

For Game 4, bookmakers offer the following odds:

– Florida Panthers win: from 2.00 (Betsiti) to 2.06 (Olimpbet)

– New York Rangers win: from 3.17 (BetBoom) to 3.40 (Betsiti)