Wait, how did that happen? Panthers lose to Rangers in Stanley Cup conference final | Schad

SUNRISE — The Panthers had 108 shot attempts on Sunday afternoon — 108 shot attempts! — and somehow lost to the Rangers.

The Panthers scored two power-play goals and still haven't allowed a single power-play goal in this Eastern Conference final — and somehow still lost to the Rangers.

The Panthers lost to the Rangers 5-4 in overtime in a Game 3 they thoroughly and absolutely dominated for nearly 60 minutes.

Is Florida's overtime magic fading?

The Rangers won it when Alex Wennberg, who seldom scores, tipped one past Sergei Bobrovsky, after a point shot from Ryan Lindgren, who rarely scores or nearly scores, 5:35 into the first overtime.

What a weird, weird game, this wonderful game of hockey is, especially in the playoffs.

Bobrovsky was not terrible. It's just that his Russian counterpart, Igor Shesterkin, was a bit better.

The official shot-on-goal differential was 38 for the Panthers and 22 for the Rangers.

That attempted shots figure takes into account misfires and shot blocks by New York.

Florida was credited by Natural Stat Trick with 15 "high-danger chances" and New York seven.

That Florida allowed five goals was entirely unexpected.

That the Panthers did it on an ice surface tilted toward the Rangers' goalie was startling.

"A lot of times in the playoffs you want to make sure you keep your energy and cut off your losses," Florida coach Paul Maurice said after the game. "And you let it go. Then there are times you want to keep it. And eat it. And let it burn for a while. And find a different kind of energy source. When you put up what we put up tonight and don't come up with the win, you should be a little growly."

This is a series in which goals should be as hard to come by as an Inter Miami match without Messi.

It was also unexpected that fourth-liner Barclay Goodrow of the Rangers would net two.

And it's encouraging for New York that former first overall pick Alexis Lafreniere would score two, including one of the spectacular variety.

In this game, backhanders were an issue for Bobrovsky.

Florida should have potted at least one or two to avoid this thing going to overtime at all.

Not long ago, Florida had won 11 straight in the extra session or sessions.

Panthers lose twice in overtime in span of 3 days

In the span of three days, they've now lost in overtime twice.

The Panthers are a very even-keeled group. They take on the tone of Maurice, their experienced head coach, who has seen it all.

We're not sure if he's seen his team lose a game in which it had 108 shot attempts — 108 shots attempts — but here we are.

Teams with a 2-1 series lead go on to win about 69% of the time.

But that shouldn't mean much here.

There is every chance Florida wins on Tuesday night and knots this thing back at 2-2.

Florida is generally suffocating defensively.

The Panthers are structured and disciplined and oh-so-frustrating and difficult to play against.

On Sunday, there were just a few critical moments of too much time and space for New York.

Though there is no way the Panthers should have lost this game. They were just a bit off in their defensive timing and synchronization at times on Sunday.

And what it did was put aside Sam Reinhart's playoff power-play renaissance.

Reinhart, with 57 regular-season goals, put home two power-play goals, but for naught.

Plenty of Rangers fans in the building but not as many as in the past

Oh, there were plenty of Rangers fans in attendance for this one, but not as many in some previous meetings between these teams.

The Panthers have made a statement to South Florida that they are a ticket worth having and on this day, the Florida fans were by far the loudest.

When it was over, those New Yorkers and transplanted New Yorkers made their way down toward the glass and sang that goal song they sing and know by heart.

It was surely painful and confusing for Florida fans and coaches and players alike to digest how exactly they controlled such a high majority of the play — and ended up losers.

All that said, this Panthers team is built for the playoffs. They are deeper than New York. They seem to have more energy than New York.

More: Five Reasons why Florida Panthers can win the Stanley Cup championship as playoffs near

The Panthers are typically physical, disciplined and defensively sound. And relentless.

This series seems headed for six or seven games, and many will still believe Florida has at least a flip-a-coin chance to advance to a second consecutive Stanley Cup Final.

But one never knows what can happen.

On Sunday, Florida seemed in almost every way a winner.

Except on the scoreboard, where it matters most.

Joe Schad is a sports journalist at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Help support our work by subscribing today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida Panthers lose to New York Rangers in overtime by Joe Schad