Rangers rally in third period but fall to red-hot Panthers in shootout

SUNRISE, Fla. — A three-game swing through Western Canada immediately after the NHL trade deadline produced a 3-0 record for the Rangers against less-than-elite competition. But as the quality of opponents rose this past week, things went the other way. They lost to Winnipeg at home, then they lost at Tampa Bay.

So how would they fare Saturday against the surging Florida Panthers, the hottest team in the league since the All-Star break?

Close, but no cigar.

The Rangers rallied from two goals down to force overtime but lost to the Panthers, 4-3, when Vincent Trocheck beat Henrik Lundqvist on the third attempt of the shootout. The loss was the Rangers’ third straight.

The win pushed Florida’s record to 15-3-1 since the break, including 8-0-1 in its last nine.

“Everybody’s got something to prove, and we’re trying to prove that we can win,’’ coach Alain Vigneault said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get it done.’’

Kevin Hayes’ goal midway through the third period tied it at 3 and forced overtime. Mats Zuccarello scored on the first shootout attempt (he is 23-for-45 in his career), but Mika Zibanejad and Ryan Spooner missed. Aleksander Barkov scored to tie it and Trocheck won it for the Panthers.

“They have some skilled forwards up front. They made some good plays through the slot,’’ said Lundqvist, who played in his 800th career NHL game. “But we kept battling. We kept coming back in this game. We gave ourselves a chance to almost win it. If I can mix in a save in the shootout, maybe we get a win.’’

Rangers forward Chris Kreider was able to play after missing the final two periods of Thursday’s 5-3 loss at Tampa Bay for precautionary reasons after taking a hit to the head (he had an assist in 15:45 of ice time).

But rather than simply reuniting all his forward lines, Vig neault decided to shuffle the deck. Kreider played on a line with Zibanejad and Jesper Fast. Zuccarello skated with the Rangers’ two hottest players, Spooner and Hayes.

“He’s been working hard all year long, but for whatever reason, with the puck, he’s had a hard time making the plays that we normally see him [make],’’ Vig neault said of Zuccarello before the game. “But he is a very sensitive young man, and I think everything that’s happened around our group has had some effect on him. But at the end of the day, he’s got to play well for our team to have success.’’

Zuccarello led the team with three shots on goal in the first period, when the Rangers outshot Florida 15-9. Unfortunately for the Rangers, none of his shots — or any of his teammates’ — went in.

With Rob O’Gara in the box in the final minute of the period, Florida got a power-play goal. After Trocheck’s right-wing shot squeezed through Lundqvist, Jonathan Huberdeau got behind Lundqvist and swept in the loose puck for his 22nd goal at 19:45.

Frank Vatrano made it 2-0 at 8:13, but Zuccarello tipped in Neal Pionk’s floater at 13:11 to make it 2-1.

Zibanejad beat Roberto Luongo with a backhander for his 20th goal 17 seconds into the third period, but Jamie McGinn put the Panthers on top when he banged in a rebound for his 10th goal at 1:02.