The Rangers trailed by just a goal in the third period of Game 1 of their conference final matchup with the Panthers, when goalie Igor Shesterkin skated way out of his crease to knock away a loose puck.
Only thing was it didn’t go very far.
The puck landed right in front of Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe, who intended to pass to Matthew Tkachuk crashing the net before Alexis Lafreniere inadvertently tipped it past Shesterkin.
Sam Bennett later chipped in an empty-net goal to give Florida a 3-0 victory over the Rangers on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.
“Everybody’s probably been in that situation,” said captain Jacob Trouba, who said the team didn’t feel the need to say anything to the 2020 first-overall pick about the gaffe. “I mean, every defenseman has. Just a tough bounce. Obviously, not what he was trying to do.
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“It’s nothing to even worry about. It should be out of his head already by now. Just one of those unfortunate breaks.”
It was only one of several self-inflicted mistakes the Rangers made in the series opener, when they were credited with 12 giveaways to the Panthers’ two.
But Lafreniere’s was the most costly.
The 22-year-old forward finished minus-three on the night, with three shots on goal and two blocks.
He also tied with the Panthers’ Ryan Lomberg for the most hits among all forwards on the ice with five.
Through 11 playoff games, Lafreniere is tied for the third most points on the team with 10 (four goals, six assists).
“I don’t think anyone’s looking at him for that play,” Jimmy Vesey said. “He had a chance to tie the game in the third period. He’s been a huge part of the team all year. He’s played great in the playoffs. As a team, we’re looking to respond next game.”
Killing off all three of the Panthers’ power plays Wednesday night, the Rangers have now fended off 30 of the past 32 penalties they’ve taken dating back to Game 3 of the first round against Washington.
Ryan Lindgren skated Wednesday morning after staying off the ice the previous three days for what the Rangers described as “maintenance.” He then suited up for Game 1.
Matt Rempe was a healthy scratch for the second straight game and the fourth time in the past five games.
