In a dramatic and long-awaited comeback, the New York Rangers stunned the Florida Panthers with a 5-3 victory on Monday night, highlighted by Vincent Trocheck’s short-handed go-ahead goal in the third period against his former team. The goal, coming in Trocheck’s 800th career game, capped off a resilient rally that marked the Rangers’ first win this season when trailing by two or more goals—a stat that had them at 0-30-1 prior to this matchup.
Trocheck’s decisive blast from the left circle came during a stretch of sloppy power-play play by Florida, who repeatedly turned the puck over. The Rangers seized the momentum, turning special teams into an opportunity rather than a disadvantage.
The Panthers had built a 3-1 lead behind two goals from Sam Reinhart and a tally from Carter Verhaeghe, who also joined Florida’s 20-goal club for the second straight season. Aleksander Barkov contributed two assists as the Panthers looked poised to cruise. However, Juuso Parssinen and J.T. Miller scored just 1:38 apart late in the second period to erase the deficit and tie the game heading into the final frame.
Matt Rempe and Jonny Brodzinski also found the back of the net for New York, which got strong support throughout the lineup. The win provides a jolt of momentum for the Rangers, who now look to finish the regular season strong at home Thursday against Tampa Bay.
For Florida, the loss locks them into third place in the Atlantic Division and ensures they’ll open the Stanley Cup Playoffs on the road. The Panthers still have one more chance to reach the 100-point mark when they visit the Lightning on Tuesday. They’ve hit that milestone just three times in franchise history—twice in the last three years.
Rangers Tribute: During a first-period stoppage, Florida fans gave long-time Rangers broadcaster Sam Rosen a warm ovation as he was shown on the video boards during his final road game. Panthers coach Paul Maurice and GM Bill Zito also paid tribute to the broadcasting legend.
The Panthers once again boast five 20-goal scorers for the second straight year—Reinhart, Verhaeghe, Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, and Sam Bennett.
Rangers host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday to close the regular season. Panthers travel to Tampa Bay on Tuesday for a final regular-season matchup with playoff positioning already set.
