Panthers have the Rangers on the ropes: Grades, takeaways from Game 5, early look at Game 6
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Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporter
The Florida Panthers and New York Rangers entered Game 5 Thursday night with their Eastern Conference finals series tied at two games apiece.
After the visiting Panthers edged the Rangers 3-2, they’ll take that same lead back home for Saturday night’s potential series-clinching game (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+).
Here’s what stood out in Florida’s victory, along with key players to watch in Game 6, and the biggest lingering question.
Panthers grade: B+
The Panthers controlled possession. They made it difficult for the Rangers to find the needed time to get settled in the offensive zone over the final two periods.
Above all, they found ways to reach the net front while consistently ensuring the Rangers struggled in that department, beyond the late goal Alexis Lafreniere scored to cut it to a one-goal margin.
If not for Igor Shesterkin, it’s possible the Panthers could have won by a larger margin and head into a Game 6 that could see them return to a consecutive Stanley Cup final for the first time in their team’s history.
Exercising patience has been crucial for the Panthers during these playoffs. Look no further than the events that led to an empty-net goal. They set up in front of Sergei Bobrovsky‘s net before forechecking and pressuring the Rangers into a mistake, en route to grabbing a two-goal lead. If they replicate that formula consistently in Game 6, the Panthers will become the first team to punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final.
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Sam Bennett’s empty-net goal pads Panthers’ lead late
Sam Bennett wrists in a goal on an empty net to give the Panthers a 3-1 lead vs. the Rangers.
Rangers grade: B-
Watching Lafreniere get near the net and score did more than cut the lead to 3-2 with less than a minute left. It was one of the few times the Rangers could really get set in the offensive zone while having a player in a position to grab a goal in a part of the ice the Panthers largely worked to take away. Is that repeatable in future games?
Finding openings was a challenge for the Rangers once the second period started. They went from 11 shots in the first period to a total of 11 more in the next 32 minutes of game time. They finished with 27, and quite a few of them were from distance.
Even with those 11 first-period shots, Natural Stat Trick’s metrics show the Rangers had a 46% shot-share in 5-on-5 play. An inability to consistently gain possession was further compounded by the fact that the Panthers broke through for 18 high-danger chances, while allowing only seven high-danger chances for the Rangers. One example of that was the Sam Reinhart shot at the doorstep that Shesterkin stopped with 5:49 left.
Another item that didn’t help was the Rangers, who have the second-best power-play unit of the four remaining teams, drew just one penalty; however, they get bonus points for a short-handed goal from Chris Kreider, his first tally of the series.
Players to watch in Game 6
Gustav Forsling. This goes beyond the fact he scored the game-tying goal. What Forsling did in Game 5 is an extension of what he’s done this season and how he’s emerged as one of the Panthers’ most important players.
So much of the Panthers’ success has been their ability to take away time and space from opponents, with the idea they can quickly get in the offensive zone. Forsling has allowed the Panthers to find success in both zones while averaging more than 23 minutes per game during the Panthers’ postseason run. He’ll be critical again as they look to put the Rangers away Saturday.
Artemi Panarin. It gets complicated as one chooses how to measure Panarin’s production. He’s arguably been the Rangers’ strongest facilitator in the postseason while still being a threat to score goals of his own. The four shots he had on net in Game 5 are the most he’s had since the second round in Game 6 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Panarin’s ability to create for others has been beyond vital for the Rangers. But if he can find a way to score a goal in Game 6, it would play a major role in the Rangers forcing a Game 7. If not, there are obviously other ways the Rangers could win and get to a Game 7. But as Game 5 showed, getting as many offensive contributions as possible from star players will only make things easier.
Big question for Game 6: Can the Rangers find some sort of success with the power play?
Success is something of a relative term when it comes to the Rangers’ power play at the moment: Is success breaking through to score a goal? Or would the first piece in finding success simply be finding a way to get on the power play at all?
Going into Game 5, the Rangers have had one of the NHL’s best extra-skater advantages during the playoffs as a whole but have struggled since reaching the conference final round. They’ve converted only 9.1% of their power-play chances. Having such a low success rate is made more of an issue by the fact they had just one power play in Game 5; by contrast, they saw one of their three chances converted in Game 4. So the task ahead is both drawing more penalties and making the Panthers pay when they do.
Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham has signed a new five-year contract that will average nearly $7.5 million over the course of the deal, sources told ESPN on Saturday.
The deal prioritized resources for the staff, as the salary pool increases $11 million, which puts it near the top of the Big 12.
The extension takes Dillingham out of the conversation for the Michigan job. He had been in the top group of candidates considered for it.
The deal remains for five years, as longer ones aren’t allowed by Arizona state law, but there are incentives to extend the contract up to 10 years. The deal is pending board approval.
Dillingham signed a new deal a year ago that made him the second-highest-paid coach in the Big 12 in 2025. While there are increases in salary, the heart of this new deal was resources for the program.
“We have the perfect coach for ASU,” a school source said. “We want to give him the tools to do his job the best way possible. That’s giving him resources to put into the staff and program and giving him longevity.”
The deal shows how Arizona State has prioritized football in recent years, as it won the Big 12 last season and reached the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history. It marked the first time the Sun Devils won a conference title outright since 1996.
It is also significant for athletic director Graham Rossini, who made it clear this week that retaining Dillingham was the top priority.
As the Michigan job lingered in the wake of Sherrone Moore’s firing, Dillingham got emotional talking about Arizona State. He is a graduate who long called the school his dream job and said on Dec. 13, “I love this place.”
He added: “That doesn’t change how I feel about here. That doesn’t change that my sister’s my neighbor. That doesn’t change that my parents live three doors down. … [Michigan] is one of the best jobs in America, it’s an unbelievable brand, an iconic brand, so a great opportunity for somebody.”
Arizona State is 22-16 under Dillingham, including a 19-7 record over the past two seasons. The Sun Devils play Duke in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl on Dec. 31.
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Eli Lederman
NORMAN, Okla. — Back in the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019, No. 8 Oklahoma earned an unwanted distinction Friday night. After squandering a 17-point advantage in a 34-24 loss to No. 9 Alabama, the Sooners now own the two largest blown leads in playoff history.
A month after Crimson Tide miscues fueled the defining win of Oklahoma’s 2025 season on Nov. 15, Alabama flipped the script inside Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, feasting on errors by quarterback John Mateer and the Sooners’ special team to bounce the hosts in the CFP first round and secure a Rose Bowl quarterfinal date with No. 1 Indiana on Jan. 1.
Down 17-0 early in the second quarter, the Crimson Tide scored on five of their next seven possessions and rattled off 27 unanswered points to match the largest comeback in CFP history, tying the 17-point deficit Georgia overcame to top Oklahoma in a double-overtime, Rose Bowl thriller on New Year’s Day 2018. According to ESPN Research, teams that have led by 17 or more in a CFP game are 28-2 all time. The two losses belong to the Sooners.
Additionally, Friday’s result marked the program’s second-largest blown lead at home since Oklahoma Memorial Stadium opened in 1923. Winless in five playoff trips since 2015, Oklahoma now holds the most losses of any program in CFP history.
“We had the ability and the opportunities to overcome it all even in just the last several minutes of the game, despite some just incredibly critical mistakes,” Sooners coach Brent Venables said. “But it just wasn’t in the cards for us tonight.”
The Sooners’ adopted team motto this fall was “Hard to Kill.” On the same night rap legend 50 Cent performed inside Oklahoma Memorial Stadium with those words emblazoned on his sweater, the Sooners buried themselves with a parade of errors.
An Oklahoma offense that began the postseason ranked 90th nationally scored on three of its first four possessions. By the time wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III caught a 7-yard touchdown from Mateer to open a 17-0 lead with 10:51 remaining in the second quarter, the Sooners had forced three consecutive three-and-outs and were outgaining Alabama 135-12.
After Alabama responded with a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, the dynamics of the second meeting between the two programs in the past 34 days swung on three plays.
Facing third-and-3 from midfield, Mateer evaded a sack and rolled out of the pocket with open space in front of him. He could have run for a first down. Instead, Mateer fired 40-plus yards downfield to running back Xavier Robinson, who failed to haul in the throw. On the next snap, Oklahoma punter Grayson Miller dropped his punt attempt and turned the ball over on downs, setting the stage for a 35-yard field goal from Alabama’s Conor Talty that cut the lead to 17-10.
“Field position against an Oklahoma team is so critical with their defense, so that was huge,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. “That was really huge for us.”
On the ensuing series, Alabama ran a disguised defensive look that appeared to confuse Mateer. With a safety dropped into coverage and Oklahoma wide receiver Keontez Lewis streaking downfield, Mateer fired, inexplicably, to no one other than Alabama defensive back Zabien Brown, who intercepted the pass and streaked down the Sooners sideline for a 50-yard pick-six.
Suddenly, the game sat level at 17-17 with 1:18 remaining in the second quarter. Of the 15 teams that have gone behind by at least 17 in the first half of a CFP game, the Crimson Tide became the first not to be trailing, courtesy of Mateer’s fourth interception in his past two games.
“I got tricked, and it’s pretty bad,” Mateer said. “I mean, you watch the tape. It was obvious it wasn’t a Cover 0. I got tricked, and it happens sometimes. But when you get tricked, you’ve got to mitigate the damage, and I didn’t do it.”
DeBoer described Alabama’s first-round win as “the opposite of the first game back at home.” Indeed, the Crimson Tide were statistically dominant in Oklahoma’s 23-21 win in Tuscaloosa last month. But the Sooners left with a signature win by taking advantage of mistakes.
In Friday’s rematch, the roles reversed. Second-half touchdowns from Lotzeir Brooks and Daniel Hill thrust the Crimson Tide to a 34-24 lead with 7:24 remaining. Pushing to close the gap, Oklahoma reached field goal position twice in the final three minutes, setting the stage for Lou Groza Award winner Tate Sandell, who had converted on each of his past 24 field goal attempts.
Battling gusting winds, Sandell pushed the first attempt — a 36-yarder — wide left. Ninety seconds later, he came up short on a 51-yard attempt, his first miss from 50-plus yards this season.
Sandell’s pair of misses were the final markers of a night that simply stopped going Oklahoma’s way following a scorching opening 20 minutes. After stunning wins over Tennessee and Alabama in November, and the similarly astonishing appearance of 50 Cent in Norman on Friday night, the Sooners ran out of magic, ultimately beaten at their own game by Alabama.
“When we needed to, we couldn’t pull one out like we have in several other games this year,” Venables said.
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