Goalie Jonathan Quick, a three-time Stanley Cup champion, lost the final game of his career as the host Florida Panthers defeated the New York Rangers, 3-2, on Monday night in Sunrise.
Cole Reinhardt produced the first two-goal game of his career, including the game-winner with 1:50 left in the third. Mackie Samoskevich also scored for the Panthers, who got 24 saves from backup goalie Daniil Tarasov, including 13 in the third period.
Quick, a 40-year-old who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, made 14 saves in the loss.
Both the Rangers (33-39-9) and the Panthers (39-38-4) have been eliminated from playoff contention. Florida, after winning Stanley Cup titles in 2024 and 2025, will end its season with a home game against Detroit on Wednesday. New York will end its season with a road game at Tampa Bay, also on Wednesday.
The Rangers got goals from rookies Matthew Robertson and Gabe Perreault.
Florida opened the scoring with 10:25 left in the first period as Quick gave up a juicy rebound that was knocked in by Reinhardt. Tobias Bjornfot earned the primary assist for the backhander on net.
The Panthers made it 2-0 on Samoskevich’s goal with 8:29 left in the first. The sequence started with a shot from the point by Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider. Samoskevich blocked the shot, giving him a breakaway. Samoskevich lifted the puck over Quick’s glove for his 12th goal of the season and his sixth in the past nine games.
New York cut its deficit to 2-1 on Robertson’s goal with 4:41 left in the first. Noah Laba won a face-off, and Robertson shot the puck from beyond the left circle. Tarasov was screened on the play.
The Rangers tied the score with 2:40 left in the second. Tarasov blocked a shot by Adam Fox, but the puck bounced in off the left leg of Perreault. It was the 11th goal of the season for the highly touted rookie.
Reinhardt made it 3-2 with a snap shot just inside the right post.
Before the game, the Panthers handed out team awards to Sergei Bobrovsky (fan favorite), Luke Kunin (unsung hero), and Brad Marchand (three stars).
After the game, the Panthers called for Quick to come back to the ice for a curtain call. Quick appeared to wipe away tears as he stepped off the ice for the final time.
