A season that featured an NHL-best 55 wins and 114 points — and a postseason that started with seven straight wins — is now 60 minutes from ending after the Rangers dropped Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final, 3-2, to the Panthers on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.
Despite finally getting their first point of the series from Chris Kreider on the game’s first goal, another strong effort from Igor Shesterkin (34 saves) and Alexis Lafreniere’s fourth goal of the series, the Rangers lost their seventh straight Game 5 in the Eastern Conference Final, which now includes five at the Garden (1994, 2012, 2015, 2022) to fall behind in the series.
The Rangers have lost each such series since Mark Messier’s Game 6 guarantee in New Jersey and Stephane Matteau’s Game 7 clincher in 1994.
Kreider’s shorthanded goal — the team’s sixth of the postseason, marking the most by any team in 16 years (Red Wings) — gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead barely two minutes into the second period, but the Panthers quickly responded with Gustav Forsling’s backhand goal set up by a brilliant no-look pass from Sam Bennett.
