Pro Sports

Weegar, Verhaeghe help rally Panthers past Rangers 4-3

Posted December 30, 2021 6:00 am

By CHARLIE McCARTHY

Florida Panthers center Anton Lundell reacts after scoring a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers, Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) The Associated Press

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) - MacKenzie Weegar, Carter Verhaeghe and Anthony Duclair scored in the third period to rally the Florida Panthers past the New York Rangers 4-3 on Wednesday night as both teams returned from an extended holiday break.

Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad each had a goal and an assist for the Rangers, who have lost four of five. Chris Kreider also scored and Igor Shesterkin made 28 saves after missing eight games with a lower-body injury.

Anton Lundell scored for Florida, and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 30 shots.

Weegar fired a wrist shot high to Shesterkin's stick side for his first goal of the season, tying it 2-all at 5:56 of the third.

'œWhen I got that first goal, all the boys had smiles for me and were patting me on the back,'ť Weegar said. "They're all happy for me and hopefully many more can come from that.'ť

Verhaeghe netted the go-ahead goal with a wrist shot from the left circle at 10:31.

Duclair's goal, his 10th, gave the Panthers a 4-2 advantage at 14:40.

Kreider scored at 19:15 after the Rangers pulled Shesterkin for an extra skater.

It was the Panthers' first game in 13 days and the Rangers' first in 12 following the NHL's extended Christmas break because of rising COVID-19 cases.

'œIt was fun to be back," Panthers interim coach Andrew Brunette said. "The guys were energetic. They played with a lot of enthusiasm, energy, compete. It was fun to watch that.'ť

The Rangers went ahead 2-1 at 12:43 of the second period when Zibanejad scored his eighth goal by firing in a feed from Panarin.

'œThe second was the best period by far for us. We dominated, I thought. Played really strong hockey," Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. "And then the third, we just didn't seem to have the (same) energy as we did in the second.'ť

Lundell scored off a rebound to tie it 1-all at 5:09 of the second. It was the rookie's sixth goal.

Panarin scored his 10th goal to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead at 11:08 of the first. Panarin, shadowed by defenseman Aaron Ekblad as he skated toward the net, pulled the puck between his legs before slipping a soft backhand past Bobrovsky.

'œI practiced it the last three days,'ť Panarin said of the move. 'œI saw the world (junior) championships and saw a couple of young guys do it, and I remember Kreider doing it pretty well. I realized, '~Why I'm not doing it?''ť

NOTES: Six of seven Panthers who had been in COVID-19 protocol returned. Sam Bennett, Ekblad, Radko Gudas, Ryan Lomberg, Brandon Montour and Verhaeghe all played. Frank Vatrano was scratched. '¦ Florida also welcomed back Aleksander Barkov, Maxim Mamin and Mason Marchment from injuries, and Gus Forsling from a non-COVID-19 illness. '¦ Gallant coached the Panthers for parts of three seasons (2014-16) and led them to an Atlantic Division title in 2015-16. ... Panarin has a nine-game point streak (three goals, 13 assists) vs. the Panthers. ... New York had been 10-0-3 when leading after two periods.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night.

Panthers: Host the Lightning on Thursday night.

___

More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Florida Panthers right wing Patric Hornqvist (70) watches as the puck gets past New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin, right, on a goal scored by Panthers center Anton Lundell during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) The Associated Press

New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (10) follows through on a shot for a goal against Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, right, during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) The Associated Press

Florida Panthers center Eetu Luostarinen (27) skates with the puck as New York Rangers left wing Dryden Hunt chases during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) The Associated Press

Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett (9) and New York Rangers center Barclay Goodrow (21) go for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) The Associated Press

New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (93) is congratulated at the bench after scoring a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Florida Panthers, Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) The Associated Press

Article Comments

Article Categories
Content Providers Hockey NHL Pro Sports Sports Sports Leagues Sports Types

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.