SUNRISE, Fla. >> The Eastern Conference Finals have been a goaltender duel, and nobody should have expected otherwise.

Seems fitting that Florida and New York are knotted at one game apiece heading into Game 3 today, given that a pair of Russian netminders and past Vezina Trophy winners as the league’s top goalie — Sergei Bobrovsky for the Panthers and 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 Friday with a 2-1 overtime, 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.”

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 (963 save percentage). Shesterkin has stopped 50 of 52 shots (.962).

And it’s not a new thing that Bobrovsky and Shesterkin are mirroring one another. Consider these stats, which include 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 and each have nine wins so far in the playoffs.

• Shesterkin’s save percentage is .915, Bobrovsky’s is .914.

• Bobrovsky’s GAA is 2.33, Shesterkin’s is 2.51.

“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.