The Florida Panthers defeated the New York Rangers 5-3 on Monday, with Jesper Boqvist playing a pivotal role by scoring two goals, including the decisive go-ahead goal with 8:22 left in the game. Boqvist’s first goal came after his initial shot was blocked, but he capitalized on the rebound of his brother Adam Boqvist’s shot. The game was especially meaningful for Jesper, as he had numerous family members in attendance, and he shared his excitement about the rare opportunity to play alongside his brother in the NHL.
In addition to Jesper’s two goals, the Panthers received contributions from Eetu Luostarinen, Mackie Samoskevich, and Aleksander Barkov, while Uvis Balinskis added two assists. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky made 33 saves to secure the win. Florida had struggled in their previous two games, both of which were 4-0 shutout losses, but this victory helped them rebound. Head coach Paul Maurice praised Boqvist’s performance and Bobrovsky’s key saves, noting how the two Boqvist goals were especially crucial against a Rangers team fighting to turn their season around.
For the Rangers, it was another disappointing loss, marking their fourth consecutive defeat and seventh in their last eight games. Ryan Lindgren, Filip Chytil, and Chris Kreider each scored for New York, but they couldn’t overcome Florida’s offensive pressure. Goalie Igor Shesterkin made 21 saves, but the Rangers’ performance fell short once again. Coach Peter Laviolette voiced his frustration, acknowledging that despite playing better overall, the team’s inability to finish resulted in another loss.
The game got off to a strong start for the Panthers. Luostarinen opened the scoring early in the first period, redirecting a shot from Gustav Forsling into the net. Samoskevich then extended the lead to 2-0 after a deflection off a shot by Dmitry Kulikov. However, the Rangers responded in the second period with Chytil scoring on a rebound to make it 2-1. Lindgren then tied the game at 2-2, redirecting a shot-pass from Adam Fox past Bobrovsky.
The Panthers quickly regained the lead with Boqvist’s second goal just 38 seconds after Lindgren’s tally. Boqvist was in the right place to score off a rebound following a wraparound attempt by Anton Lundell. In the third period, Kreider tied the game again on a power play, scoring a one-timer to make it 3-3. With the Rangers pressing and pulling their goalie late in the game, the Panthers were able to kill off a penalty and seal the win with an empty-net goal from Barkov at 19:23. Maurice emphasized the importance of the penalty kill and Bobrovsky’s strong performance, concluding that the victory was a great way to close out the year.
