SUNRISE, Fla. — What’s been consistent for the Rangers’ third line throughout the playoffs, and since being acquired at the trade deadline for Alex Wennberg, is that while the analytics showed a lot of positives, the actual on-ice results said very little.
No more.
Wennberg, whom the Rangers acquired in early March by sending Seattle a second-round pick along with a 2025 fifth-round pick, came at a better time for the Rangers on Sunday night, breaking a scoring slump that had lasted since March 19.
Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals seemed to be going in a bad direction, as the Rangers squandered a two-goal lead and spent most of the third period under siege, until Wennberg came out of a faceoff and found himself in front of the net.
He deflected a Ryan Lindegren shot to give the Rangers a 5-4 overtime victory and a 2-1 lead in the overall series.
“I feel like as a team it doesn’t matter who the hero is or who did it,” Wennberg said. “We’re all playing for each other. We might not be scoring the same numbers, but as a team we do everything together and we have an end goal. So, obviously it’s a great feeling and it gives me confidence, but I’m happy for the team.”
That’s been the watchword in this conference final, and it was no different on Sunday when Wennberg scored the game-winner and fourth man Barclay Goodrow added two goals.
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Aside from Igor Shesterkin’s usual heroics, the Rangers have not been able to get anything out of the horse this series.
Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin each had one point, but neither came on a goal.
Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejed haven’t even gotten that far yet.
The Rangers believe that it doesn’t matter who the hero is;
Wennberg may have been the least likely player on the team to fill that role on Sunday, given his limited offensive production since joining the Rangers.
That doesn’t mean he wasn’t worthy.
“He did a really good job in all the zones. Really smart player,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “He came in and gave us exactly what we needed at the time, exactly what we expected.”
Goodloe has already earned himself a bouquet in this series, scoring the game-winning goal in overtime on Friday night in New York.
However, it was further evidence that the No. 21 can also provide offensive firepower when required.
“He’s certainly a guy who’s put up some numbers in his career so far and has had some big goals and big opportunities in the playoffs,” Laviolette said of Goodloe, “so the fact that he’s doing it now, I don’t think it necessarily surprises anybody because he works for what he gets.”
