Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe also scored, and Barkov had two assists for the Panthers, who are the No. 1 seed from the Atlantic Division. Sergei Bobrovsky made 21 saves.
“We wanted it so bad. I think we were gripping our sticks a little tight in the first,” Bennett said. “Then we started to loosen up and just relax, started making more plays, got back to our game that we’ve had success with all year. It was good composure by our part, and we just calmed down in the second and third there.”
Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafrenière scored, and Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox each had two assists for the Rangers, who are the No. 1 seed from the Metropolitan Division. Igor Shesterkin made 37 saves.
“Especially in the second, there was a lot of heat there,” New York coach Peter Laviolette said. “We ended up going out in the third trying to force it to get that thing tied up. We did. Just not the way we wanted to get into that in overtime that quick.”
Trocheck gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal at 8:51 of the first period. Panarin sent a pass from along the goal line to Trocheck, who scored with a one-timer from above the circles that went over Bobrovsky’s right shoulder.
“I thought we were tight. That’s the best way I can describe it,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said of the first period. “Both teams want it so bad, they’ve invested so much hard work to get here. I just thought we were tight, and then after the first we just played. It wasn’t more coaching, I would say less. I don’t have a better explanation for it. I don’t think that I wind them up hard before a game, but you never know what your impact is. My conversation after the first was I thought we were tight, and we don’t play that way.”