SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — The Eastern Conference Finals have been a goaltender duel, and nobody should have expected otherwise.
Seems fitting that the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers are knotted at one game apiece heading into Game 3 on Sunday afternoon, given that a pair of Russian netminders and past Vezina Trophy winners as the league's top goalie — Sergei Bobrovsky for the Panthers, Igor Shesterkin for the Rangers — have basically matched each other save-for-save, stat-for-stat.
Bobrovsky has allowed the Rangers to score two goals. Shesterkin has allowed the Panthers to score two goals, not counting an own goal deflected in by a teammate and an empty-netter that New York yielded in Game 1. And the similarities hardly end there.
“It's definitely fun,” Bobrovsky said.
Fun is one way to describe it. Hair-raising, gut-churning, and nail-biting would also apply.
The Rangers evened the series on Friday with a 2-1 overtime win at Madison Square Garden, Barclay Goodrow the hero 14:01 into the extra session by beating Bobrovsky and giving New York — which finished with the NHL's best regular season record — a needed split of the first two games before heading on the road for Games 3 and 4.
There's been almost no breathing room over the first two games: Through 134 minutes and 1 second of hockey so far in the East finals, 130:13 of it has come with the margin on the scoreboard being one goal or less. The goalies have just been that hard to beat.
“He's been terrific, he's been terrific this year and he's certainly been terrific in the playoffs," Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said of Shesterkin. “I thought there was good goaltending at both ends. ... Both of these guys are good goaltenders.”
Take away the own goal from Game 1 — Florida's Carter Verhaeghe got credited with a score that made it 2-0 late in the third when Alexis Lafrenière tipped the puck past Shesterkin — and the goaltender numbers are almost perfectly matched. Bobrovsky has stopped 52 of 54 shots he's seen, a .963 save percentage. Shesterkin has stopped 50 of the 52 Florida shots that have gotten to him, a .962 mark.
And it's not a new thing that Bobrovsky and Shesterkin are mirroring one another. Consider these stats, which include both this regular season and the playoffs:
— Shesterkin's record is 45-20-2, Bobrovsky's is 45-21-4. They both had 36 regular-season wins, they both have nine wins so far in the playoffs.
— Shesterkin’s save percentage is .915, Bobrovsky’s is .914.
— Bobrovsky’s goals-against average is 2.33, Shesterkin’s is 2.51.
— Bobrovsky’s even-strength save percentage is .922, Shesterkin’s is .920.
— Bobrovsky’s save percentage when facing a power play is .877, Shesterkin’s is .871.
“Two really good goaltenders at each end," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “It's an exciting series, exciting hockey. Lots of hits, lots of action.”
Just not a lot of goals.
“Obviously, two of the best goalies in the world and it’s a showdown out there,” Verhaeghe said. “We're looking to get chances and they both are playing unreal. That's all I can say."
Goodrow scored four goals, one of them a game-winner, on 61 shots in 80 games during the regular season for the Rangers. In the 12 playoff games, he has four goals, two of them game-winners, on just 12 shots.
He was asked to explain. He could not.
"I don't know," said Goodrow, the only skater in the Rangers lineup who has won a Stanley Cup; backup goalie Jonathan Quick is a three-time Cup hoister, including last season with Vegas. “I'm just trying to bring the same game every night, trying to do whatever I can to help the team win games.”
Going back to his time in Columbus, Bobrovsky had won 12 consecutive overtime playoff games — tying the longest such streak in NHL history with Patrick Roy.
And the Panthers had won 11 OT playoff contests in a row, which ends up as the second-longest run in Stanley Cup playoff history behind a 14-game stretch of OT wins by Montreal from 1993 through 1998 (with Roy in the net for much of that).
Florida fell to 13-9 all-time in playoff overtime games.
Friday's game was the 100th playoff overtime game in Rangers history. It was the 98th playoff game — total — in Panthers history.
VESEY INJURY
Rangers forward Jimmy Vesey is being listed as week-to-week after sustaining an upper-body injury in Game 2 on Friday night.
Vesey was injured in a collision with Ryan Lomberg of the Panthers in the second period.
Laviolette did not say Saturday who would replace Vesey on the fourth line. Kaapo Kakko was a healthy scratch on Friday for the first time in the postseason. New York also has Jonny Brodzinski available, and there is an outside chance Blake Wheeler might play for the first time since breaking a bone in his leg in February.
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) deflects a shot by New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (93) as Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) looks for the rebound during the second period of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Eastern Conference Stanley Cup playoff finals, Wednesday, May 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) reacts after an own goal tipped in by the Rangers against the Florida Panthers during the third period of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Eastern Conference Stanley Cup playoff finals, Wednesday, May 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) makes a save on a shot by Florida Panthers left wing Ryan Lomberg (94) in overtime of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals during the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Friday, May 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) blocks a shot by the New York Rangers during the third period of Game 2 during the Eastern Conference finals of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Friday, May 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Israeli officials say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dissolved the influential War Cabinet that was tasked with steering the war in Gaza.
The War Cabinet was dissolved following the departure from the government of Benny Gantz, an opposition lawmaker who had joined the coalition in the early days of the war. He had demanded that a small Cabinet be formed as a way to sideline far-right lawmakers in Netanyahu’s government. Gantz, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant were its members and they made key decisions together throughout the war.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the change with the media, said Monday that going forward Netanyahu would hold smaller forums with some of his government members for sensitive issues.
Gantz, a longtime political rival of Netanyahu’s, joined the government as a show of unity after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel. He left the government earlier this month, citing frustration with Netanyahu’s handling of the war.
Critics say Netanyahu’s wartime decision-making has been influenced by ultranationalists in his government who oppose a deal that would bring about a cease-fire in exchange for the release of hostages. They have voiced support for the “voluntary migration” of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and reoccupying the territory.
Netanyahu denies the accusations and says he has the country’s best interests in mind.
Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 37,100 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.
Israel launched the war after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, in which militants stormed into southern Israel, killed some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducted about 250.
Currently:
— The war in Gaza is wiping out entire Palestinian families, one branch at a time. This is how
— The war in Gaza has wiped out entire Palestinian families. AP documents 60 who lost dozens or more
— Israel’s army says it will pause daytime fighting along a route in southern Gaza to help flow of aid
— 8 Israeli soldiers killed in southern Gaza in deadliest attack on Israeli forces in months
— US aircraft carrier counters false Houthi claims with ‘Taco Tuesdays’ as deployment stretches on
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Gaza at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Here's the latest:
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli officials say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dissolved the influential War Cabinet that was tasked with steering the war in Gaza.
The War Cabinet was dissolved following the departure from the government of Benny Gantz, an opposition lawmaker who had joined the coalition in the early days of the war. He had demanded that a small Cabinet be formed as a way to sideline far-right lawmakers in Netanyahu’s government. Gantz, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant were its members and they made key decisions together throughout the war.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the change with the media, said Monday that going forward, Netanyahu would hold smaller forums with some of his government members for sensitive issues.
Gantz, a longtime political rival of Netanyahu’s, joined the government as a show of unity after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel. He left the government earlier this month, citing frustration with Netanyahu’s handling of the war.
Critics say Netanyahu’s wartime decision-making has been influenced by ultranationalists in his government who oppose a deal that would bring about a cease-fire in exchange for the release of hostages. They have voiced support for “voluntary migration” of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and reoccupying the territory.
Netanyahu denies the accusations and says he has the country’s best interests in mind.
Associated Press writer Tia Goldenberg contributed to this report from Tel Aviv, Israel.
VILLEPINTE, France — A major defense and security industry show outside Paris says a French court has banned Israeli exhibitors from participating.
Event organizers said in a press release posted at the entrance of the Eurosatory exhibition, seen Monday by Associated Press journalists, that the court order issued Friday prohibited “the participation of employees or representatives, of any nationality whatsoever, of Israeli companies” in the show.
“In addition, all exhibiting companies are prohibited from receiving, selling or promoting Israeli weapons,” the press release said. It also said exhibitors cannot act as intermediaries at the show for Israeli companies “in any way whatsoever.”
It did not say what motivated the court’s decision. But it said the ruling came on the heels of a French government decision two weeks ago to prohibit Israeli companies from exhibiting at the show “in the current context.”
The event organizers said they’ll appeal the court decision “as soon as possible.” The Eurosatory exhibition, held every two years at Villepinte northeast of Paris, opened Monday and runs to Friday.
JERUSALEM — Israel’s military announced on Sunday that it would pause fighting during daytime hours along a route in southern Gaza to free up a backlog of humanitarian aid deliveries for desperate Palestinians enduring a humanitarian crisis sparked by the war, now in its ninth month.
The “tactical pause,” which applies to about 12 kilometers (7½ miles) of road in the Rafah area, falls far short of a complete cease-fire in the territory that has been sought by the international community, including Israel’s top ally, the United States. It could help address the overwhelming needs of Palestinians that have surged in recent weeks with Israel’s incursion into Rafah.
The army said that the daily pause would begin at 8 a.m. and last until 7 p.m. and continue until further notice. It’s aimed at allowing aid trucks to reach the nearby Israel-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing, the main entry point, and travel safely to the Salah a-Din highway, a main north-south road, the military said. The crossing has had a bottleneck since Israeli ground troops moved into Rafah in early May.
COGAT, the Israeli military body that oversees aid distribution in Gaza, said the route would increase the flow of aid to other parts of Gaza, including Khan Younis, the coastal area of Muwasi and central Gaza. Hard-hit northern Gaza, an early target in the war, is served by goods entering from the north.
FILE - Palestinians inspect the damage of buildings destroyed by Israeli airstrikes on Jabaliya refugee camp on the outskirts of Gaza City on Oct. 31, 2023. Jabaliya refugee camp was one of Gaza’s most densely populated areas and has been struck multiple times since Oct. 7. The true toll remains unknown because many remain under the rubble. (AP Photo/Abdul Qader Sabbah, File)
FILE - A Palestinian child looks at the graves of people killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip and buried inside the Shifa Hospital grounds in Gaza City, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Mohammed Hajjar, File)
Israeli soldiers carry the flag-draped casket of Capt. Wassem Mahmoud during his funeral in the village of Beit Jann, northern Israel, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Mahmoud, 23, a member of the Druze minority, was killed during Israel's ground operation in the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli army has been battling Palestinian militants in the war ignited by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Israeli soldiers carry the flag-draped casket of Capt. Wassem Mahmoud during his funeral in the village of Beit Jann, northern Israel, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Mahmoud, 23, a member of the Druze minority, was killed during Israel's ground operation in the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli army has been battling Palestinian militants in the war ignited by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Protestors gather outside the Eurosatory exhibition, a global event for Defence and Security, in Villepinte, outside Paris, Monday, June 17, 2024. A major defense and security industry show outside Paris says a French court has banned Israeli exhibitors from participating. Banner reads, 'Arms dealers accomplices'. (AP Photo/Masha Macpherson)
Protestors gather outside the Eurosatory exhibition, a global event for Defence and Security, in Villepinte, outside Paris, Monday, June 17, 2024. A major defense and security industry show outside Paris says a French court has banned Israeli exhibitors from participating. (AP Photo/Masha Macpherson)
Palestinians carry a child killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip into a hospital in Deir al Balah on Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians mourn their relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in a hospital in Deir al Balah on Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
