Despite a better effort, the Rangers lost to the Panthers 3-2 in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night. They now are on the brink of elimination.

In what was a very evenly played game, the Rangers had the better of the play over the first half. Unlike Games 3 and 4 at Florida, they were sharper.

Able to use their speed to get through the neutral zone, they generated more offense than the last two games. For most of the first period, they spent more time playing in the offensive zone. That led to better chances.

After being held to one shot in Game 4, Artemi Panarin came out firing. He had a better showing, finishing with four shots on goal and 11 attempts. If only one had gone in. While he was much more active, Panarin was held without a point.

The Panthers’ Eetu Luostarinen put the Rangers on a power play when he slashed Alex Wennberg in the neutral zone. However, they were unable to take advantage. Panarin missed wide and had another shot blocked. It was a frustrating night for him.

Sergei Bobrovsky made some key saves early on. He stopped 11 shots in a busier first. The Rangers outshot the Panthers 11-8.

The best chance for the Panthers came on a turnover. Sam Bennett got to a loose puck in front and hit the goalpost. He would be heard from later.

K’Andre Miller was called for roughing Vladimir Tarasenko in the offensive zone. That negated a three-on-two rush. Vincent Trocheck had just passed the puck to a wide open Panarin when the refs blew the play dead. Miller got his glove up on Tarasenko, who went down and sold it.

Shesterkin was called on to make a big save on a tricky Sam Reinhart tip-in of an Aleksander Barkov shot pass. That was the only dangerous opportunity the Panthers had on the power play.

Moments later, Shesterkin stopped Kevin Stenlund in front. The Panthers’ fourth line caused problems. They have been very effective since coach Paul Maurice inserted veteran Kyle Okposo and Steven Lorentz. Okposo has played well in limited duty.

A bad giveaway from Erik Gustafsson led to Okposo getting a shot on Shesterkin that he handled. Gustafsson really struggled last night. He threw away pucks and was credited with a team worst four giveaways.

Peter Laviolette continues to play him over Zac Jones, who is really needed. His skating could help the Rangers get out of their zone and transition quickly. With their backs against the wall, Laviolette should consider making a change. Gustafsson avoids contact and hasn’t had a good series.

Late in the period, Bobrovsky stopped Trocheck, Adam Fox, and Lafreniere to keep it scoreless. 

Less than a minute into the second period, Miller got called for his second penalty when he tripped Carter Verhaeghe. It was accidental. But the Panthers went on their second power play.

It was the Rangers who struck on the penalty kill. Taking advantage of a bad Matthew Tkachuk turnover inside the blue line, Kreider intercepted it and fed Mika Zibanejad. He then pushed the puck ahead for Kreider, who used his strength to get away from a chasing Reinhart and break in on Bobrovsky. He went to the backhand and tucked it in for his third shorthanded goal of the postseason.

Kreider’s three shorthanded goals matched Mark Messier for the most in franchise history during the postseason. Most importantly, it was his first goal of the series. Both he and Zibanejad recorded their first points on the play. It came at a good time.

The Rangers had a chance to add to their lead. Fox was taken down by Okposo. On their second power play, a turnover allowed Stenlund to get a shot on Shesterkin that rebounded right to Niko Mikkola, whose backhand was stopped. His momentum carried him into Shesterkin for a goalie interference minor. A scrum ensued. Gustafsson negated a potential 5-on-3 by roughing Mikkola behind the net.

Still on a 5-on-4 advantage, Kreider fired a high, rising shot that knocked off Bobrovsky’s mask. He went to the bench for repairs. When play resumed, the Rangers won a faceoff and had two good setups. But Zibanejad’s one-timer missed the mark. Panarin then sent a shot wide. Neither has been able to make a difference. That’s why the power play has struggled.

After the power play failure, the Rangers searched for more offense. But on a play inside the Panthers’ blue line, Trocheck had a dump in go awry. It led to a turnover. A quick counter started by Aaron Ekblad led Bennett into the Rangers zone. He slipped a pass ahead for Gustav Forsling, whose backhand went off Shesterkin and in to tie the score.

On the goal, Lafreniere had a miscommunication with Fox in coverage. He didn’t stick with Forsling, who then split both Fox and Ryan Lindgren for the goal. Fox probably could’ve closed the gap.

Another Gustafsson misread led to Jacob Trouba taking a penalty. He went for a big hit, which allowed Anton Lundell to move in and draw a holding the stick minor. But the Rangers held firm on the penalty kill.

After an icing, the Wennberg line was pinned in against the Tkachuk line. Able to forecheck the puck, they came very close to grabbing the lead. Shesterkin made his biggest saves on Tkachuk and Bennett in tight.

That was part of the Panthers grabbing the momentum. Once outshot 14-8, they turned it around. By the conclusion of the period, they had 13 of the last 16 shots to take a 21-17 lead.

In the third, they came out with more intensity. Looking to get the next goal, Florida piled up shots on Shesterkin. He made a pair of stops on Lundell, including denying him on a between the legs rebound. He then stopped Vladimir Tarasenko.

There was a lot of one and done for the Rangers. Despite being urged on by the crowd, who chanted, “Let’s Go Rangers,” they couldn’t raise their level.

It started to resemble the third period of the last game. The Panthers kept pressing. They were continuing to get shots through on Shesterkin, who did all he could. For the game, he finished with 34 saves.

Kaapo Kakko drew a tripping minor on Mikkola behind the Florida net. That sent the Rangers to their third power play. It felt like do or die.

Kreider had a tip-in on a Zibanejad shot pass that Bobrovsky made a tough pad save on. With the power play winding down, Wennberg got free in the slot for a good opportunity. But his wrist shot was stopped by Bobrovsky.

The Wennberg line was applying pressure on the Panthers during a shift. However, Kakko missed a rebound in front. That led to a quick transition in the opposite direction.

Luostarinen passed the puck up for Lundell. He then cut in and used a sliding Braden Schneider as a screen before firing a wrist shot past Shesterkin to give the Panthers the lead with 9:38 left in regulation.

Schneider went for the shot block. But by kneeling down, he was in Shesterkin’s path, which made it hard for him to pick up Lundell’s shot. He also allowed Tarasenko to get to the net and cause a problem for Shesterkin. Lundell beat him underneath for the Panthers’ second goal.

The Rangers tried to respond. A long Panarin shot was turned aside by Bobrovsky. He couldn’t get one to go. Panarin remains without a goal in the series. He hasn’t scored since Game 3 of the second round against the Hurricanes. It’s been a tough stretch.

Bobrovsky would also make saves on Lindgren and Fox. The trouble for the Rangers was there was a lot of one and done.

After Barkov was stopped by Shesterkin, Reinhart had the game on his stick. But somehow, a quick reacting Shesterkin made an acrobatic glove save to rob Reinhart.

The Panthers began to play back and take away the neutral zone. The best opportunity the Rangers had was when Fox took a tough shot from a sharp angle that went off Bobrovsky’s glove and wide.

With 2:36 remaining, Shesterkin went to the bench for a 6-on-5. Laviolette opted not to use his timeout. Despite getting some attack time, the Rangers were unable to set up a shot. Instead, a loose puck came to Bennett. After he gave Zibanejad a shot, he skated in and fired into the vacated net past a diving Fox to make it 3-1 with 1:52 left.

It seemed over. Following a timeout, the Rangers eventually got set up and made it interesting. On a Zibanejad shot pass, the puck banked off Lafreniere’s skate and in to cut it to 3-2 with 50 seconds left.

Incredibly, the Rangers iced the puck off the faceoff. That killed precious seconds. By the time Lafreniere dumped the puck in the corner, Mikkola kept it there as time ran out. No Ranger could free it up and create one last shot. That summed things up.

The Panthers are a heavier team who defends well. They’ve twice been the better third period team. It came in Games 4 and 5. That’s why they take a 3-2 series lead back home with a chance to clinch on Saturday night.

The Rangers played well enough to win. But in the third period, they got outplayed by a determined opponent who knows what it takes. The Panthers made the Stanley Cup Finals last year. They don’t panic. Their experience is why they’re one win away from making it back.

It’s going to take a lot of heart and determination for the Rangers to win Game 6. They’re going to have to win the battles. They need more traffic in front of Bobrovsky. They also can’t make as many mistakes in their end.

Laviolette’s decision to reunite Miller with Schneider worked. They weren’t stuck in their end as much against Barkov. However, Schneider’s mistake in transition proved costly. He screened Shesterkin on Lundell’s winner.

Gustafsson back with Jacob Trouba was not too good. Mostly due to Gustafsson coughing up pucks. Trouba came back with a stronger effort. But it didn’t matter. Laviolette loves Gustafsson. But inserting Jones for him is the move to make.

As far as Filip Chytil goes, he’s had little impact. It isn’t easy to return after missing so much time due to a concussion. Complicating matters, Jack Roslovic has been ineffective in the series.

Matt Rempe took only four shifts (2:43). That’s not enough to make an impact. What’s the point of playing him if the coach won’t use him? He praised Rempe’s work in Game 3. It makes no sense.

The loss of Jimmy Vesey has hurt the Rangers’ depth. It doesn’t help matters that Will Cuylle saw only 8:44 in 12 shifts. He plays with energy and has speed and grit. He should be playing more.

The Panthers’ depth has been the difference. They all play the same way. It isn’t easy for the Rangers.

Shesterkin has to be nearly perfect for them to win. If they’re to pull this off, they must play from in front. I don’t mean just getting one goal, either. It’s a tough challenge ahead. We’ll see what the Rangers are made of this weekend.