Panthers’ Bobrovsky stellar in 3-0 series-opening win on road vs. Rangers

The Panthers drew first blood in what is expected to be a tight Eastern Conference final series.

Florida star Matthew Tkachuk scored a first-period goal, which proved to be enough Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. The Panthers went on to win 3-0 over the Rangers, taking a 1-0 series lead.

“It’s 1-0 now,” Florida captain Aleksander Barkov said. “We’re exactly where we wanted to be before the game. It was good effort by us. I think we can build on this very well.”

Tkachuk had a relatively quiet second round against Boston, but he started the conference finals against the Rangers with a bang. The star forward got a pass from defenseman Gustav Forsling and fired it past  Rangers star goalie Igor Shesterkin for the game’s first goal late in the first period.

That lone goal held up through the third period despite frantic attempts by the Rangers to even the score.

The Panthers appeared to get some insurance with 11:15 left in the third period. Oliver Ekman-Larsson got a shot past Shesterkin, but New York challenged the goal, and the score was taken off the board due to goalie interference on Florida forward Ryan Lomberg.

“I thought it was right,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “It’s the call I would want on Sergei (Bobrovsky). The best goalies in the world need a bit of protection. I don’t think there was any malice in what Ryan did, but you get in that deep to the crease — and then he is trying to get out, and he gets pushed in, and I get all that — but you start that by starting in the crease fairly deep. So I’m sitting on the bench, going, ‘It’s 1-0 going into the call. If it goes our way, its 2-0. If not, we’re exactly where we were.’ I thought they got it right.”

However, the Rangers hurt their own cause as forward Alexis Lafrenière accidentally deflected a puck past his own goalie, giving the Panthers a 2-0 edge. Panthers center Carter Verhaeghe got credit for the goal — his seventh of the postseason.

Panthers center Sam Bennett sealed the win, scoring on an empty net late in the third period.

Bobrovsky continued his strong playoff performance, making all 23 of his save attempts and stopping multiple Rangers breakaways. New York received excellent opportunities with about seven minutes left in the third period, but the Rangers still could not get on the board.

Bobrovsky, who had six shutouts during the regular season, notched his second career shutout in the playoffs.

“It’s a special place. It’s a special building,” the 35-year-old goalie said of Madison Square Garden in a postgame interview with ESPN. “And it’s even more special to get the win here.”

The Panthers defense was excellent, allowing just 12 shots through the first two periods. New York ended the game with 23 shots.

“I think you have to be a veteran goalie to do what he did tonight: sit for a while, make huge saves,” Maurice said.

Shesterkin, a former Vezina Trophy winner, nearly matched Bobrovsky save for save, keeping New York in the game with crucial saves — including one on a Barkov shot from point-blank range.

The Presidents’ Trophy-winning Rangers lost for the third time in four games after opening the postseason with seven straight wins.

“We can play better, that wasn’t the best version of ourselves,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said.

The series continues with Game 2 on Friday at 8 p.m. (ESPN) in New York.