NEW YORK _ The Panthers had every reason to hoist the white flag on a season gone wrong early in the first period against the playoff-bound Rangers in the always raucous Madison Square Garden Friday night.
After yet another gut-wrenching one-goal loss to the host Columbus Blue Jackets less than 24 hours earlier that saw them drop seven points out of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 13 games remaining, defenseman Keith Yandle said all the right things about fighting until the end.
However his face, Jonathan Huberdeau's hanging head and distant curses from the shower stalls told another story.
So they came out flat and gave up two goals on the Rangers' first three shots just 4:11 after the opening faceoff. But coach Tom Rowe, sensing a possible pre-St. Patrick's Day hangover from Columbus, called a timeout.
His words ignited the Panthers, who led by 45-year-old Jaromir Jagr and his linemates, especially Aleksander Barkov, stormed back to stun the Rangers 4-3 in a shootout to keep their faint playoff hopes alive.
Jagr notched two primary assists to Huberdeau and Barkov to pass the legendary Gordie Howe with the most points (269) by any player past 40.
Perhaps the Panthers should ask the NHL schedule-makers to give them 41 back-to-backs as they are now 6-3-4 in second games of such scenarios. The Panthers crept to within five of idle Toronto for the wild card, but the Leafs have two games in hand and Florida still has to outlast the Flyers, Islanders and Lightning.
As a reward for their gritty effort, the Panthers get a day off in Pittsburgh before they have to take on the reigning Stanley Cup champion Penguins.
After Huberdeau was stymied on a breakaway in overtime, Barkov slipped a backhander past Antti Raanta to win the shootout as he's now 7-for-10 in the exciting showdown. James Reimer stopped all three Rangers' shooters and made 29 saves for the win.
Tied at 2-2 after two, the Rangers found their legs in the third period but Reimer rose to the occasion, first stopping Kevin Hayes on a doorstop stuffer before Jesper Fast's rebound attempt clanged off the post at 14:27.
Then it was time for the Panthers' top-line trio to play keepaway from the Rangers as Huberdeau fed Jagr who set up Barkov for a bunny at 7:23 of the third for his 19th goal and a 3-2 lead.
It was short-lived as Mats Zuccarello zipped his second goal of the game through Reimer's armpit with 8:15 left in regulation to knot it at 3-3. Brendan Smith, brother of Panthers forward Reilly, recorded his second assist.
The well-rested Rangers, who hadn't played since losing their fifth in a row at home Monday to the Lightning, had a vice-like grip on the first wild-card spot and would use their last 12 games to battle the Capitals, Blue Jackets and Penguins for Metropolitan Division supremacy.
Panthers defenseman Jakub Kindl, in for a concussed Aaron Ekblad, had to hook Michael Grabner to prevent a breakaway goal. On the ensuing power play, the Rangers made the Panthers' top-ranked PK look like a fraud on a tic-tac-toe pass that ended up with Zuccarello whipping a slot-shot through Reimer for a 1-0 lead at 2:34.
Just 1:37 later, Panthers third-line wing Jonathan Marchessault, who has been on a goal-scoring tear since Thomas Vanek joined his line, made an uncharacteristic turnover in the defensive zone that resulted in J.T. Miller's wide-open wrister for a 2-0 lead.
Marchessault, who came in with four goals in four games, nearly atoned but was stoned twice by Raanta in the closing minute of the first period.
Raanta, in for a sidelined Henrik Lundqvist, a Panthers' killer and perennial 30-game winner, was under siege in the second as Florida was on a 16-2 shot run.
Finally, Alex Petrovic's slapper rang off the post, the puck popped to Jagr, but it was Jonathan Huberdeau with a spinning rebound for his sixth goal at 1:25. This time the Situation Room wouldn't take it away as they did the night before.
At 6:41, Panthers defenseman Jason Demers whipped a cross-ice pass to Vanek, who froze the Rangers defenseman before zipping it to Jussi Jokinen for a layup, and Vanek's sixth helper in the last three games.
Following a Panthers' penalty kill, Colton Sceviour went on his breakaway de jour but Raanta made a sensational skate save to keep it 2-2 after two.
