Rangers Rise Above Panthers

     The New York Rangers dropped the Florida Panthers 5-2 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. The Panthers began a stretch in which they are playing five straight games away from Sunrise. The Rangers won their first game this season in regulation time.
     Florida(1-3-3) would get a power-play goal with 1:45 left in the first period. Jonathan Huberdeau wrapped the puck around the boards from behind the net to Vincent Trocheck on the right wing. He skated to the top right circle and then released a high wrist shot past Alexandar Georgiev.
     The second period belonged to New York(3-5-1). Mike Zibanejad scored a shorthanded goal on a feed from Adam McQuaid at 3:10.
     They took a 2-1 lead on a power-play goal at the 11: 36 mark. Mats Zuccarello put in his first goal of the season on assists from Neal Pionk and Zibanejad.
     The Blueshirts added another tally on the power play with 3:52 remaining in the second. Chris Kreider cycled the puck from the right wing to Pionk on the right point. His cross-ice pass was picked up by Zibanejad at the top left circle and he flicked a wrist shot by Michael Hutchinson for his second goal of the contest.
     The Rangers made it a three-goal margin 1:27 into the third period as Zuccarello compiled his second goal. Zibanejad was credited with an assist for his fourth point of game.
     The Panthers did not give up and the contest to 4-2 with 9:23 remaining. Mike Hoffman dropped the puck to Huberdeau at the left point. Hoffman received a return pass in the low left circle, skated around the Rangers cage and slid in a wraparound forehand shot.
     The Cats pulled out the goalie and brought out an extra attacker with three minutes to go. Kevin Hayes eventually scored an empty-net goal from the blue paint for New York with 51.9 seconds to go.