NEW YORK — In 80 regular-season games, Rangers center Barclay Goodrow scored four goals. It took him only 12 playoff games to match that total, including his clutch overtime goal to win Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals on Friday as the Rangers tied the series 1-1 with the Florida Panthers.
“I don’t know. I just try to play my best every night,” Goodrow said when asked about his offensive performance in the postseason. “Anytime you can do something to help the team it feels good.”
Because of that work ethic, Goodrow’s teammates were overjoyed that one of the Rangers’ most unsung heroes got his first moment in the postseason with a 2-1 win.
“He’s one of those guys that makes teams win. He’s a big player who plays well in big games,” captain Jacob Trouba said.
“It was great to see him score tonight, because that’s not always his role,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “When you see a guy that does so many other things that help the team be successful, you’re really happy for that guy when you see him have a big impact on the game.”
Goodrow scored at 14:01 of overtime. Trouba started the game with an outlet pass from the Rangers’ defensive zone that Goodrow dropped off his stick near center ice. He passed the puck to teammate Vincent Trocheck, who sent an aerial pass to Goodrow in the Panthers’ zone while linemate Will Culp drove toward the net for a potential rebound.
“I don’t remember how the ball went in, but I just remember Troch making a great pass to me,” Goodrow said. “Cools was moving the ball to the net, which opened up the lane. So they both had great play.”
Goodrow scored the winning goal by passing a wobbly puck through Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (28 saves).
“I don’t like to talk about the goal. He just takes shots and scores goals,” Bobrovsky said. “That’s the way it is. Two good teams playing hockey. It’s a good win for them.”
As the Rangers mobbed Goodrow on the ice in front of a raucous Madison Square Garden crowd, the Panthers stood on their bench wondering if Goodrow might have touched the puck with a high stick to start the sequence. But the goal stayed on the board.
Goodrow said he never thought he hit the puck with a high stick. “No. During the game, it never crossed my mind,” he said.
Playoff success is nothing new for Goodrow. He was a key player on two consecutive Stanley Cup championship teams with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021. He left the Bolts in July 2021 to sign a six-year free agent deal with the Rangers for $21.85 million.
After two seasons of double-digit goals, Goodrow’s offensive output dropped to four goals in 2023–24, his lowest total in a full season since his rookie campaign with the San Jose Sharks in 2014–15.
“It’s funny: When the puck isn’t going in, people feel like they’re never going to score again,” defenseman Adam Fox said. “I’ve felt the same way, I’ve been through tough times. Everybody wants to score, but he’s still going to do other things to help us win. Our penalty kill has been great all year and has been great in the playoffs. He plays against top lines. When he’s not scoring, you never feel that disappointment.”
Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin, who made 26 saves in the win, dismissed the notion that Goodrow’s season was inconsistent.
“Maybe for you he’s up and down. But for me he’s always on top,” he said.
Some of Goodrow’s goals in the 2024 postseason have been significant. He scored a short-handed goal that was the winner in Game 3 of the Rangers’ first-round sweep of the Washington Capitals. He scored the series-winning empty-net goal against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 6. Then scored the winning goal Friday against the Panthers.
Goodrow was on the ice for that shift because the Rangers needed him to win in the defensive zone, which he did.
“You see him taking defensive zone draws all the time,” Trouba said. “It’s a thankless job, to be honest. The only time anyone talks about him is when he loses. When he wins, which he does often, nobody talks about it.”
That’s why Goodrow’s overtime goal means so much to the Rangers. He’s a player who does what it takes to win but doesn’t always get the headlines or the praise.
“When you get a player that can do everything, where the coach can rely on that guy, it’s a very useful tool in the toolbox,” Laviolette said. “He takes faceoffs, plays all three forward positions. You want him there at the end of the game. If you’re winning hockey games, you can play him against the top lines. He brings physicality, leadership, brings a lot of attributes inside our room. So when you get a player like that, you as a coach appreciate everything he brings to the table.”
Rangers rookie Matt Rempe, who energized the team upon its return to Madison Square Garden, said Goodrow was a “16-win” player in the playoffs.
“Oh yeah. Goody is the same guy,” Rempe said. “Oh my God. That was unbelievable. That was a big shot from him.”
The third game will be held Sunday afternoon in Sunrise, Florida.
