Barclay Goodrow Quickly Becoming New York Rangers Playoff Legend
Superstars can be made in the regular season, but legends are born in the playoffs. Barclay Goodrow, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning, is trying to write himself into New York Rangers lore.
Winning in Tampa Bay is cool, but winning for the New York Rangers is on another level. If you don't believe me, just go to a playoff game at Madison Square Garden, and you'll see what I mean.
The Rangers put up a terrible performance in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final against the Florida Panthers, getting shutout in front of the Garden crowd.
I was there, and it was the quietest I've ever heard MSG during a Rangers' playoff game (and I saw them give up a 5-on-3 shorthanded goal against Tampa Bay a few years back).
I was lucky enough to also attend Game 2 and that's when Goodrow made his biggest impact of the postseason.
The game went to overtime, with the Rangers desperate to not fall down 2-0 in the series, and Goodrow scored the game-winner to send the Garden into a frenzy like I've never experienced (and I've been to A LOT of Rangers games).
That alone was enough contribution for the fourth-liner to win his way into Rangers' fans' hearts, but that wasn't enough for Goodrow.
In a pivotal Game 3 in Florida, Goodrow scored his second goal in as many periods, this one coming 25 seconds after Alexei Lafrienere tied the game for New York. That gave the Rangers a 2-1 first period lead.
The Panthers re-tied the game later in the first period, and the teams headed to intermission tied at two goals each.
After Lafreniere scored again to take the lead, 3-2 (Lafreniere is another guy who is quickly vaulting himself up the ranks of favorite Rangers for many fans, myself included, but his story is for another day).
New York Rangers forward Barclay Goodrow has helped turn around the Eastern Conference Final against the Florida Panthers.
(Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)
Jacob Trouba took two penalties on the same play, sending Florida to a four-minute power play. It was a critical moment in the game, with the Panthers trailing by a goal.
But instead of Florida tying the game, the Rangers extended the lead thanks to … you guessed it, Barclay Goodrow.
He scored three goals in three periods across Games 2 and 3 of the Eastern Conference Final. Goodrow played 80 games during the regular season and tallied just four goals. He has five goals in the past six games and six goals total this postseason.
Unfortunately for the Rangers, Goodrow's goal was not the game-winner. The Panthers tied the score with two goals in the third period and for the second straight game, the teams went to overtime.
That's when an extremely unlikely hero stepped up for the New York Rangers: Alex Wennberg.
Wennberg scored one goal in his 19 regular season games as a Rangers after coming over during the NHL trade deadline. He hadn't scored in the playoffs. Then, he won it for New York.
The NHL playoffs are all about getting production from the entire lineup. The Rangers got three goals from two guys who combined for five goals in 99 regular season games.
That's playoff hockey, baby.