Rangers Suffer Setback Against Panthers

Marcel Goc and Drew Shore scored third-period goals, and the Florida Panthers prevented the New York Rangers from clinching an Eastern Conference playoff berth with a 3-2 victory on Tuesday night.

Goc broke a tie, and Drew Shore added a short-handed, empty-net goal to give Florida a 3-1 lead before the Rangers got back within a goal.

Tomas Fleischmann netted the first goal and added an assist, and Jacob Markstrom stopped 36 shots for the Panthers, who have the fewest points in the NHL.

Derick Brassard and Taylor Pyatt scored for the Rangers (24-18-4) and Henrik Lundqvist made 13 saves. New York, the eighth-place team in the East, could have secured a spot in the playoffs with a win after Winnipeg lost earlier Tuesday.

The Rangers have a one-point lead over Winnipeg with two games left. The Jets have one game remaining.

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