Rangers outlasted by Panthers in wild game

SUNRISE, Fla. — The Rangers got their first look at the Florida Panthers on Friday in their year-ending trip to the Sunshine State. And in the end, after a back-and-forth battle, a broken stick played a part in deciding the outcome.

Seconds after Alexis Lafreniere exited the penalty box after a controversial penalty for hitting Florida’s Aleksander Barkov in the head, Barclay Goodrow’s stick broke when he blocked a shot and Carter Verhaege fired a shot through traffic that got by goaltender Jonathan Quick for the game-winning goal in the Panthers’ 4-3 victory at Amerant Bank Arena.

“It was tough because we had tied it up, got through the penalty, and it was tough that we lost our stick there,’’ Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. “That’s the way it goes sometimes.’’

Verhaege’s goal at 13:37 of the third period proved to be the winner for Florida (21-12-2) one minute and 22 seconds after Mika Zibanejad had tied it at 3-3 with a shorthanded goal scored on a one-timer while Lafreniere was in the box.

But Laviolette was annoyed that Lafreniere was in the box in the first place. The Rangers (24-9-1) were trailing 3-2 when Lafreniere stepped up in the offensive zone and tried to play a bouncing puck with his leg. His shoulder appeared to catch Barkov in the jaw and the Florida captain — who had three assists — was stunned. He stayed hunched over for several moments before heading off to the Florida dressing room, although he

returned a few shifts later.

The officials on the ice called Lafreniere for a major penalty, which was automatically reviewed. After the review, the penalty was downgraded to a minor, but Laviolette didn’t think that was enough of a downgrade.

“You’ve got a guy playing the puck and he takes his head down into the play, with no intention to hit [Barkov] in the head,’’ Laviolette said. “This should have been zero minutes, not two minutes. So I don’t agree with the call.’’

The Rangers didn’t want to make the game all about one call. They preferred to chalk this up as a simple case of two good teams playing against each other and, well, you can’t win them all.

“It’s just one of those games,’’ said Zibanejad, whose 14th goal, off a pass from Chris Kreider, extended his point-scoring streak to a career high-tying nine games. “I don’t think it’s a bad game, necessarily. I think we’re playing against a good team.’’

Florida’s hard, relentless forechecking had the Rangers pinned in their own zone for most of the first period. Only amazing goaltending by Quick — along with 10 blocked shots — allowed them to get out of the opening 20 minutes down just 1-0 on a goal by Evan Rodrigues that went off Quick’s right shoulder and in at 18:45 of the period.

The Rangers got off to a much better start in the second, but the first of Sam Reinhart’s two goals, at 7:12 of the period, put Florida up 2-0 before the Rangers rallied to tie it on goals 1:13 apart by Artemi Panarin and Will Cuylle.

Panarin scored his 20th of the season when Ryan Lindgren, guarding the left point, batted a Florida clearing attempt back toward the slot and Lafreniere — who exactly one year ago was a healthy scratch under former coach Gerard Gallant — got the puck and passed it to Panarin, who scored on a one-timer to pull the Rangers within 2-1 at 13:23.

K’Andre Miller started the play on the tying goal when he poked the puck away from Florida’s Nick Cousins in the Rangers’ zone and outraced Cousins to get to the puck in the neutral zone. Cuylle joined the rush to make it a two-on-one and roofed Miller’s pass for his seventh goal at 14:36.

But Reinhart’s second goal, on a power play at 17:07, put Florida back in front after the Rangers’ Braden Schneider was called for an interference penalty against Barkov.

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.