Battle Of Hudson covers the Rangers and Devils, who's intense rivalry heated up in the 90's. With fresh faces added, they battle for supremacy in NYC and NJ..
After losing in overtime last night, the Rangers are tied with the Panthers through four games of the Eastern Conference Final. Game 5 is tomorrow night at The Garden.
It’s best-of-three to decide which team advances to play for the Stanley Cup. If you’ve watched this series closely, you know how fortunate the Rangers are to be tied.
For most of it, they’ve been dominated by the relentless forecheck of the Panthers. Somehow, they’ve survived the heavy pressure to get two wins. Both came in overtime. In Game 2, which was by far their best effort, Barclay Goodrow won it on a perfect shot set up by Vincent Trocheck.
In Game 3, which saw them beat Sergei Bobrovsky four times in regulation, they hung on for dear life after blowing a 4-2 lead in a lopsided third period. Igor Shesterkin was the only reason they even reached sudden death. His clutch saves gave them a chance to steal it. An Alex Wennberg tip-in of a Ryan Lindgren shot gave them the win.
That was despite being outplayed by a wide margin. Forget the huge discrepancy in shot attempts. It’s been beaten up enough by ESPN. The Rangers have spent way too much time in their end zone defending. It isn’t sustainable.
The Panthers proved that point in Game 4. After the Rangers had their best period of the series, with Trocheck scoring on the power play off a good Artemi Panarin setup, they only totaled 10 shots for the remainder of the game. They were completely outplayed by a more desperate Panthers, who knew they had to win to even the series.
Even if that was the case, most concerning was how lethargic the Rangers looked. They couldn’t complete passes or get much done. The neutral zone became a wall. The Panthers sealed it up to go on the attack. There were uncontested break-ins that Shesterkin stopped. It looked like he was taking on the Panthers on his own.
Unfortunately, Shesterkin had some bad luck when a Gustav Forsling shot went off him to Sam Bennett behind the net. He didn’t know where the puck was. That allowed Bennett to bank it in off Shesterkin to tie the score. That goal was all the Panthers needed to surge ahead.
Less than four minutes later, Carter Verhaeghe scored a power-play goal by getting another favorable bounce, which allowed him to bat a backhand out of midair past Shesterkin to make it 2-1.
They could’ve run the Rangers out of the building. But Shesterkin never allowed it to happen. He stopped Aleksander Barkov in front to give his back pedaling team a chance.
Early in the third period, Evan Rodrigues missed wide on a dangerous chance. Shesterkin then denied Vladimir Tarasenko, who was given too much time and space.
If there was a positive, it was the play of the Rangers’ bottom six. They supplied energy with some hits and even a shift in the Florida zone. Something the top two lines haven’t proven capable of. That’s why they’ve spent so little time on the forecheck. A pattern that can’t continue.
An icing led to the Rangers tying the game. After losing a draw, the Trocheck line finally applied the kind of pressure needed to create offense. On a good forecheck created by Artemi Panarin, he got the puck to Adam Fox, who then made a Brian Leetch like spin-a-rama and wheeled a backhand pass for Alexis Lafreniere to redirect in to tie the score.
It was a sensational play. The execution from both Fox and Lafreniere, who the Panthers can’t seem to handle, was perfect. If only Lafreniere could be cloned. His game-breaking speed and skill have been on display during the postseason. His seven goals are tied with Chris Kreider for the second most on the team behind Trocheck’s eight.
Peter Laviolette needs to find a way to get Lafreniere more ice time. If that means playing him up for a few shifts with Mika Zibanejad and Kreider, he should do it. They need help. None of the other options have worked. Lafreniere is 22. He can be double shifted. After Trocheck, he’s been the best Rangers skater this postseason. He has 13 points (7-6-13) so far.
The most alarming aspect of last night’s game was how quickly the Panthers tilted the ice. The Rangers got no momentum from Lafreniere’s goal. It was unacceptable. They simply couldn’t stop the heavy pressure that the Panthers mounted.
Florida attacked at will. Matthew Tkachuk missed wide on a wrap-around. Wennberg blocked three shots to help prevent scoring chances. He made some excellent defensive plays.
Shesterkin came across to rob Kyle Okposo on the doorstep. Okposo was inserted by Paul Maurice to play on the fourth line. Even they had opportunities. It was a shooting gallery.
Somehow, the Blueshirts held on. There was a close call late in regulation for the all but invisible Zibanejad to be the hero. But he sent Kreider’s feed over the net. It was frustrating. Earlier in the game, he had a shot go off Sergei Bobrovsky and the goalpost on a power play. He has no goals in the last nine games.
With under two minutes left in regulation, Shesterkin made one more big save by gloving a Tarasenko point blank shot with ease. That’s how locked in he is. If only he had more support from his teammates.
Less than a minute into sudden death, Will Cuylle passed across for Zibanejad inside the Panthers’ zone. Instead of attempting a shot, he tried a cute pass for Blake Wheeler, who was bottled up. It led to a turnover.
Barkov had a breakaway on Shesterkin. He was hooked from behind by Wheeler. It probably should’ve been a penalty shot. I’m sure the Rangers wouldn’t have minded if it was called instead of a penalty. The way Shesterkin’s played, you’d take your chances.
Barkov set up Sam Reinhart in the slot for the game-winning power-play goal 72 seconds into overtime. The Panthers earned the 3-2 victory to draw even.
More than that, their aggressive style has been winning out against what looks to be an exhausted team. It’s increasingly difficult to keep playing on the defensive.
The Rangers are losing too many battles. They’re coughing up too many pucks. They’re turning it over constantly. They’re unable to get out of their zone consistently and come with speed through the neutral zone. There’s no sustained forecheck.
It isn’t like the Panthers are perfect. They’re not. They had more giveaways (17-12) than the Rangers last night. They can be exploited defensively. Bobrovsky can be beaten upstairs. That was proven in Game 3. They take bad penalties. The Rangers must make them pay for it.
In order to turn this around, they have to take the play to the Panthers. In Game 2, they were the aggressors. It led to a better end result. The first period in Game 4 was how they must play. Use that as a blueprint.
It’s easier said than done. Can the Blueshirts summon the energy necessary to win the series? Tomorrow feels like do or die. They’re on the ropes. We’ll see if they can get off the mat.
To a man, they weren’t good enough. Despite some more heroics from Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers got what they deserved on Tuesday night. Sam Reinhart scored a power-play goal at 1:12 of overtime to give the Panthers a 3-2 win in Game 4.
The series is now tied 2-2 with a pivotal Game 5 on Thursday back at Madison Square Garden. If they’re to have a realistic chance at winning the biggest game of the season, then the Rangers need to play a lot better.
For at least a period, they had the better of the play. For the first time in the Eastern Conference Final, the Rangers scored on the power play. Vincent Trocheck converted an Artemi Panarin pass from the slot to beat Sergei Bobrovsky up high at 8:51.
Shesterkin made four saves on a prior Panthers power play. His best came on Matthew Tkachuk. There were no rebounds. Florida found it tough to beat him. They also weren’t as sharp in the first period.
Instead, it was the Rangers who got the better chances. On another power play with Brandon Montour off for cross-checking Trocheck, they did everything but score. The puck moved so quickly that it felt like they’d score and take a two-goal lead.
Mika Zibanejad was all set up from the left circle. But his shot went off Bobrovsky and hit the crossbar. He was that close to finally getting his first goal of the series. That would come back to haunt him.
Despite outplaying and outshooting the Cats 13-11, the Rangers only led by a goal after one period. It was their best period of the series. They never came close to matching it the rest of the game.
Almost immediately, the Panthers flipped the switch in what was a dominant second period. The Rangers couldn’t complete passes and hardly had the puck. If it weren’t for Shesterkin making ridiculous saves, including a sliding stop to rob Carter Verhaeghe, the score would’ve been lopsided.
On a puck battle behind his net, Ryan Lindgren was called for a soft holding minor on Aleksander Barkov, who went down rather easily. For a superstar, he sure does that a lot to get calls. Technically, it was a penalty. The way the game was officiated is what made it frustrating.
After the power play expired, Sam Bennett was able to tie the score when he banked in a loose puck off Shesterkin. An aggressive Bobrovsky made a smart play by getting the puck up ice for Gustav Forsling. His shot handcuffed Shesterkin, who gave up a rebound. With K’Andre Miller scrambling in front, Bennett wisely put the puck in off Shesterkin, who didn’t have his near goalpost covered.
Things took a turn for the worse when Barclay Goodrow accidentally cleared the puck over the glass for a delay of game minor. On another power play, the Panthers got a nice bounce to take the lead.
Barkov moved the puck down los for Tkachuk. His pass for a Verhaeghe tip-in was stopped by Shesterkin. But the puck took a hop off both Shesterkin and Lindgren, and Verhaeghe batted a backhand out of midair to give the Panthers the lead with 7:44 remaining.
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) May 29, 2024
Despite owning the puck and holding a 14-5 edge in shots, the Panthers got two fluke goals to surge ahead. They weren’t beating Shesterkin clean. He’s been stopping everything. Their best chance is by crowding the net and getting puck luck. The strategy paid off.
With Forsling in the box for tripping Chris Kreider, the Rangers failed to capitalize on the man advantage. It was exasperating watching Zibanejad. His failure to make the right play with the puck is really hurting the team. He had a very bad night.
The one player who continues to make things happen is Alexis Lafreniere. For reasons known to only Peter Laviolette, he refuses to give him more ice time. Even if it means removing the slumping Zibanejad off the top unit in favor of Lafreniere, you ride the hot hand. Lafreniere deserved to be double shifted.
For too long in the second, Laviolette overplayed his top guys. That meant hardly any shifts for Goodrow, who’s only been one of their best players. Blake Wheeler and Matt Rempe hardly saw the ice due to special teams. But Laviolette shortchanged them despite both bringing energy. Something Zibanejad and Kreider rarely did.
The play of the bottom six was more noticeable. Alex Wennberg was good defensively under duress. Kaapo Kakko and Will Cuylle gave good efforts. But there wasn’t enough ice time for either. Even Lafreniere didn’t play enough through two periods.
In the third period, Lafreniere stayed hot to tie the score at 3:28. Following a Panarin pass over for Adam Fox, he made a great spin move and wheeled a backhand towards the net that Lafreniere got a piece of to score his third goal in the last two games. If that was a pass, it was an incredible play by Fox. He had two assists and looked like more of a threat.
Instead of gaining some momentum from Lafreniere’s latest goal, the Rangers let the Panthers smother them. Almost the remainder of the period was played in their end. It was absurd.
They relied on Shesterkin to make countless saves. He made 13 more stops to keep Florida off the scoreboard.
It wasn’t until Laviolette had Rempe back out late that something happened. On a play in transition, Rempe had Trocheck open in front. His soft pass for Trocheck took a tricky deflection that Bobrovsky made a good save on. He played better, making key stops in the first when the Rangers could’ve led by more.
Once again, the game went to overtime. Unlike the last two, it didn’t last long. On what was a lousy decision by Zibanejad, he tried a low percentage pass for Wheeler inside the Panthers’ blue line. Instead of shooting the puck, his brutal pass was taken away by Barkov, who broke in and forced Wheeler to hook him from behind.
Mika Zibanejad on this play: “Obviously I should have probably made a different play, decision. … Just come back and try to make other decisions next time and hope that it goes my way.”
In all honesty, it should’ve been a penalty shot. Had it been, I would’ve been more comfortable having Shesterkin face Barkov one on one. The Panthers went on another power play. It didn’t take long.
On a Montour pass down low for Barkov, he centered the puck for Reinhart, who buried a one-timer past Shesterkin to give the Panthers the win.
So. It’s now all about Game 5. The Panthers basically scored every goal on the power play. Bennett’s goal came three seconds after it expired. They did the same thing to win Game 1.
For as dominant as they’ve been at 5-on-5, they haven’t scored much there. Shesterkin hasn’t allowed them to. He’s trying to carry the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Finals. He can’t do it alone.
At some point, Zibanejad and Kreider must contribute. They can’t be as bad as they’ve been. Neither has a single point. Zibanejad’s ridiculous play cost the Rangers the game. It was a terrible read that he couldn’t make at that crucial point.
Panarin picked up two assists. But he was limited to one shot. He has no goals against the Panthers, either. His reputation is on the line. They need him to score in the next game.
It doesn’t matter who Laviolette plays in Game 5. Whether it’s Filip Chytil back in for Wheeler, who was blameless for what happened, they’re not the difference makers. That’s Zibanejad, Kreider, and Panarin.
In a plot twist, the Rangers have made a change to the lineup for Game 4 against the Panthers.
Blake Wheeler will make his return tonight. Having not played since sustaining a lower-body injury on Feb. 15 against the Canadiens that looked like the end of his season, the 37-year-old veteran forward had been cleared to play. He’d been waiting for an opportunity.
With the Rangers opting to healthy scratch Filip Chytil due to rest, it left them with a choice. Either insert Jonny Brodzinski or Wheeler. Coach Peter Laviolette has decided to go with the experience of Wheeler. In 65 career playoff games with Boston and Winnipeg, he’s posted 10 goals and 35 assists for 45 points.
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) May 28, 2024
Wheeler will play on the fourth line with Barclay Goodrow and Matt Rempe. The change means that Will Cuylle shifts to the third line with Alex Wennberg and Kaapo Kakko. Jack Roslovic is back with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider.
On the Panthers’ side, they’ve made two changes to their lineup. Coming out are Ryan Lomberg and Nick Cousins. Coming in are Kyle Okposo and Steven Lorentz.
When Alex Wennberg scored at 5:35 of overtime to win Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final for the Rangers, the Panthers showed no class.
After losing the game, a couple of Panthers acted like trolls towards Matt Rempe. As the Rangers came off the bench to celebrate Wennberg’s clutch goal, both Matthew Tkachuk and Oliver Ekman-Larsson intercepted Rempe and tried to start something.
Ekman-Larsson gave Rempe a slash, and Tkachuk cross-checked him. It was uncalled for. They lost the game. It sure looked like they were picking on the 21-year-old rookie forward.
A couple of Panthers players picked off Matt Rempe as he was coming off the bench to celebrate the Rangers OT winner 😅
Tkachuk is one of those players who isn’t shy about mixing it up. The game’s premier power forward is very skilled. He picked up two assists in the Panthers’ loss. He could’ve shown better judgment than to act like a sore loser.
Ekman-Larsson isn’t known for any rough stuff. He’s primarily an offensive defenseman who is used on the power play. He is on the third pair with Dmitry Kulikov. They got victimized by Alexis Lafreniere for a highlight reel goal that gave the Rangers a 3-2 lead late in the second period on Sunday.
Whether it’s 4 minutes or 10 minutes, Matt Rempe even dressing is getting in the heads of the Panthers. https://t.co/yaYwDczmkM
It’s hard to argue with the Daily Faceoff’s Jonny Lazarus’ assertion that the Panthers are a bit caught up in Rempe. Why else would they go after him following an overtime loss? He only played 4:02 the other day.
He was on for Barclay Goodrow’s first goal. He set a perfect screen on Sergei Bobrovsky. Rempe’s roughing minor led to a Sam Reinhart power-play goal.
In a game that Florida dominated, they still were taking runs at guys. The Panthers play a very aggressive, physical brand of hockey. When Jacob Trouba was called for elbowing Evan Rodrigues, the Panthers forward tried to sell it to get a major. As bad as it was for Trouba to extend his elbow, he never caught Rodrigues’ head. He got the shoulder and neck.
On another play during the game, Rodrigues led with an elbow that missed Wennberg. Luckily, he didn’t come close on the attempted illegal check.
Just seeing this for the first time.
Evan Rodrigues was the player who caught the elbow from Trouba.
But wait, wait, wait Rodrigues essentially tried to throw the same exact hit???pic.twitter.com/6BSurNVSPp
It was during Game 2 that Kulikov came late with a high hit on Wennberg that sent him down. After reviewing the play for a major, the officials determined that it was a two-minute minor for interference.
After review, Kulikov received a two minute minor for interference on this hit pic.twitter.com/FCsUTe0Lfb
It was the correct ruling. Kulikov’s check made contact with the chest of Wennberg. The fact that it was late made it a minor penalty.
At this stage of the postseason, it’s hit or be hit. Sometimes, players will play on the edge. The Panthers remain the aggressor in the series. They’ve outplayed the Rangers in two of three games but trail 2-1. Now, a critical Game 4 awaits later tonight in Sunrise, Florida.
Obviously, the Rangers need to put forth a better effort. They can’t expect to get away with what happened on Sunday. Even if shots were 37-23, most of the play was spent defending in their own zone.
The Panthers will be desperate. They know how difficult it is to beat Igor Shesterkin. Even in allowing four goals, he made the clutch saves to help the Rangers steal Game 3. He’s the biggest reason they’re two wins away from reaching the Stanley Cup Finals.
There’s something to be said for this team’s character. They find ways to win. They’re now 4-0 in overtime this postseason. The Blueshirts are a resilient bunch who sticks together.
They can’t expect to win later unless Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, and Chris Kreider play better. None of their biggest scorers have a goal in the first three games.
Panarin has one assist with seven shots while other attempts have been blocked or missed completely. Zibanejad is going up mostly against Aleksander Barkov. His line with Kreider has been neutralized. They can still do a much better job of getting pucks in and spending time attacking.
The Rangers are 0-for-8 on the power play. They’ve struggled to get much set up. The Panthers have done a good job taking away what they like to do.
Complicating matters, Adam Fox is playing on one good leg. He isn’t able to move well due to the knee on knee hit he took from Capitals defenseman Nick Jensen in Game 4 of the first round on Apr. 28. The injury is serious.
Fox is still out there giving everything he has. He’s not as effective. Partner Ryan Lindgren has been better. It was his point shot that Wennberg tipped in for the game-winner on Sunday.
Obviously, Trouba and K’Andre Miller need to be better. Considering the strong character they have, expect them to rebound. Erik Gustafsson has been more effective since being reunited with Braden Schneider. He’s shown more confidence at making plays with the puck and jumping into the rush.
If things get ugly tonight, then maybe Rempe will pay back the Panthers for their shenanigans. But if it’s close like the previous games, then anything is possible. We’ll see what happens.
As expected, the Department of Player Safety fined Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba $5,000 for elbowing Evan Rodrigues. He was fined the maximum amount under the CBA.
NY Rangers’ Jacob Trouba has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for elbowing Florida’s Evan Rodrigues.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) May 27, 2024
The elbow took place with 2:28 left in the second period. On a delayed penalty for slashing, Trouba attempted a desperation hit that caught Rodrigues up high.
Fortunately, the elbow didn’t make head contact. Instead, it landed on the shoulder and neck of Rodrigues. After they reviewed the play for a major penalty, it was reduced to a two-minute minor.
The Rangers were able to bail Trouba out by killing off a four-minute Panthers’ power play. He was lucky that his undisciplined penalties didn’t prove costly.
Aside from that, Trouba’s fortunate he wasn’t suspended. To echo ESPN analyst P.K. Subban, that wasn’t a hockey play. It was an elbow with intent to injure an opponent. I understood Subban’s argument for it being a major. Mark Messier didn’t utter a word during the segment.
Had Trouba connected with Rodriguez’ head, he would’ve been gone for both the game and the series. While he’s correct that it happened so fast, he can’t do that. It’s dangerous and too risky.
#NYR captain Jacob Trouba on the elbow play he was fined for:
“It all happened pretty fast. It’s not something you’re thinking about 1,000 times over and over again. I think it just happens fast, it’s hockey.”
In the second round, he nearly decapitated Hurricanes forward Martin Necas. He went for a big hit, and Necas ducked out of the way. Instead, Trouba went flying into the boards. That was close.
Trouba has to know better. He likes to hit. That’s fine. Hitting is part of hockey. But he can’t head hunt. Like it or not, he now has that reputation. The refs are going to be keeping a close eye on him.
The Rangers captain is very accountable after games. He has to toe the line. He’s also needed on the ice. Trouba took three penalties on Sunday. He now leads the postseason with 10. That’s far too many for a key player who’s an important part of both five-on-five and the penalty kill.
In a game, when he was far from his best, Trouba still managed to help set up two goals. He has three assists over the last two games. Any offense he adds is a bonus. The focus is on being better defensively with partner K’Andre Miller against a relentless Panthers’ attack.
When they signed Barclay Goodrow three years ago, this is exactly what the Rangers had in mind.
A gritty forward who can play anywhere in the lineup, the 31-year-old is a proven winner. He was an integral part of the Lightning winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021.
When they acquired him from the Sharks on Feb. 24, 2020, it was due to how he plays. The Lightning knew that they had to get tougher. Adding a hard-nosed player like Goodrow helped improve their depth. He was part of the big third line that included Yanni Gourde and Blake Coleman.
In the summer of 2021, the Lightning knew that they couldn’t re-sign Goodrow. They dealt his signing rights to the Rangers for a seventh round pick. They immediately signed him to a six-year contract worth an average cap hit of $3.64 million. In hindsight, they gave him too many years. However, he’s been a solid contributor over the first half of the deal.
Whenever a player struggles the way Goodrow did during the regular season, it’s always en vogue to criticize their performance by referencing how much they make. Was it an overpay? Sure. But Goodrow is more than just goals and assists. He brings intangibles.
Before Peter Laviolette took over as coach, Goodrow had consecutive 30-point seasons for the first time in his career with the Blueshirts. He hit double digits in goals the previous two years. Used up and down the lineup by Gerard Gallant, the versatile Goodrow played more. He killed penalties and even saw some power play time before Gallant overused the top unit.
When Laviolette was hired, he decided to utilize Goodrow differently. Establishing that he wanted Goodrow to be the fourth line center, he frequently had him match up against opponents’ top scoring lines. Primarily used at even strength and on the penalty kill, Goody saw his average ice time cut to 12:34.
He improved on faceoffs by winning 54.0 percent. But his offense suffered. He only had four goals with eight assists for 12 points over 80 games. Despite struggling in that department, be still was a key part of the league’s third best penalty killing unit. He scored one of the Rangers’ eight shorthanded goals during the season.
Goodrow remains an honest player who finishes checks, blocks shots, and wins puck battles. After finishing the season better by scoring three of his four goals over the last nine games, he’s carried it over to the postseason.
In the first round sweep of the Capitals, he had an impact. Playing between Jimmy Vesey and Matt Rempe, Goodrow set up a pair of goals in Game 1. That included a strong forecheck behind the net that led to Vesey feeding Rempe for the first goal. He later won a faceoff back to Vesey for the third goal. The Rangers won 4-1.
Two games later, it was Goodrow who got the game-winner when he took a Vincent Trocheck feed and scored a shorthanded goal in a 3-1 win at Washington. His work on the penalty kill with Trocheck has been exceptional. They do a good job pressuring up top. They both break up plays and can transition quickly. Their defensive effort has been a big reason why the Rangers have five shorthanded goals in the postseason.
In yesterday’s 5-4 overtime win over the Panthers to take Game 3, Goodrow scored his second shorthanded goal of the playoffs to give the Rangers a 4-2 lead late in the second period. He also scored back in the first period when he redirected a Braden Schneider shot to tie the score.
Without those two goals, the Rangers don’t take a 2-1 series lead. The same can be said for his overtime winner in Game 2. Goodrow took a Trocheck pass in the middle of the ice and beat Sergei Bobrovsky short side to give the Rangers a 2-1 win.
In the first three games of the Eastern Conference Final, it’s been the play of Goodrow who’s picked up the scoring for slumping stars Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, and Chris Kreider. Panarin has one assist while both Zibanejad and Kreider are without a point so far. That needs to change when the series resumes tomorrow night.
Somehow, the Blueshirts are ahead in the series. They can thank Goodrow, Alexis Lafreniere, Trocheck, and Game 3 hero Alex Wennberg for that.
Lafreniere scored twice on Sunday, including a highlight reel goal that made it 3-2. With the Panthers more focused on taking away Panarin, Lafreniere’s had time and space to make things happen. If he continues to produce along with Trocheck, who leads the Rangers with four points in the series, that could force Florida to change how they play against Panarin.
Led by Goodrow’s three goals, it’s been the Rangers’ role players who have been getting it done. On his first goal in Game 3 that tied the score, Bobrovsky was unable to pick up his deflection due to Rempe screening him in front. He didn’t play much following an iffy roughing penalty that led to Sam Reinhart getting his second power-play goal of the first period. But Rempe indirectly helped Goodrow score by standing in front.
With the Zibanejad line quiet again, Wennberg had a good game. His line with Jack Roslovic and the reinserted Kaapo Kakko were effective. They spent the majority of shifts in the Florida zone. The one time they didn’t was when Carter Verhaeghe set up Aleksander Barkov for a big goal that got the Panthers back in it early in the third period. They got caught on too long with K’Andre Miller and Jacob Trouba.
As fate would have it, Wennberg got help from Kakko and Roslovic on a faceoff that led to his overtime winner. They combined to get the puck back for a Ryan Lindgren shot that Wennberg tipped in for the winner.
The Rangers are ahead in the series due to their secondary scoring. It was an area of concern coming in. They’ve made positive contributions. That includes Will Cuylle, who helped set up Goodrow’s first goal on Sunday. Cuylle always plays with an edge by going to the dirty areas and finishing checks. He isn’t shy about shooting the puck when the opportunity is there.
If they can get more from Zibanejad, Kreider, and Panarin, they should advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. It’s time for the Rangers’ stars to step up.
They’d reached the breaking point. So dominated were the Rangers in a lopsided third period that coach Peter Laviolette took his timeout to try to settle down his team. By then, the Panthers had scored two consecutive goals less than two minutes apart to tie the game.
Following the timeout, the Rangers played a bit better. But they couldn’t sustain it. For what felt like an eternity, the Panthers had the puck in the offensive zone and were firing shots from everywhere. It felt like they’d eventually get one more puck by Igor Shesterkin. It never happened.
Despite constant icings and high danger chances, they couldn’t beat Shesterkin. He turned away Carter Verhaeghe twice and stoned Matthew Tkachuk point blank with the game on the line. He never buckled.
It was the brilliance of Shesterkin that allowed the Rangers to steal home ice back. After surviving the end of regulation, the Rangers found a way to take Game 3. Alex Wennberg’s goal at 5:35 of overtime gave the Rangers a 5-4 win over the Panthers. With a second straight overtime win, they lead the best of seven series 2-1.
They don’t ask how you win? They ask how many. If it was decided by puck possession, the Panthers would be the Corsi kings. They out-attempted the Rangers by a wide margin. The total favored the Cats 108-43. It was absurd. It didn’t matter. Of the 108 attempts they took, only 37 made it through.
The Rangers also blocked 37 shots. That included nine from Jacob Trouba, who really struggled. He took three penalties and was on for both Panthers’ goals with partner K’Andre Miller in the third period. Miller had an even tougher game. His failure to clear two pucks led to a pair of Sam Reinhart power-play goals in the first period.
Despite most of the defense having trouble, the Blueshirts persevered. The Panthers had another 29 attempts miss completely. Goalscorer Gustav Forsling, who tied the game off a faceoff, also had a shot hit the goalpost with just over eight minutes left in regulation.
With less than six minutes remaining in the third period, the Rangers had to kill off a third Trouba penalty. After he broke his stick, he held Tkachuk to send the Panthers to their seventh power play.
It was a shooting gallery for Verhaeghe. He was stopped three different times by Shesterkin and had two other shots miss the net. The Rangers survived. They also bailed Trouba out on a four-minute penalty when he got called for slashing and elbowing with 2:25 left in the second period.
He elbowed Evan Rodrigues up high to initiate a review to determine if it was a major penalty. The replays showed that Trouba caught Rodrigues in the shoulder and neck. He was fortunate.
As bad as the penalty kill was in the first, they killed off the last three Florida power plays. Not only did they get it done. But they also got a shorthanded goal from the suddenly hot Barclay Goodrow that put them up 4-2 late in the second.
Goodrow continues to be a clutch player. After winning Game 2 in sudden death, he scored two more goals in the win on Sunday afternoon. That included a nice redirection of a Braden Schneider shot that gave the Rangers two consecutive goals in a 25-second span to give them their first lead.
Alexis Lafreniere had tied the score when he took a lead pass from Vincent Trocheck and beat Sergei Bobrovsky with a wicked backhand on a breakaway. Lafreniere had a great game scoring twice, including a highlight reel goal that gave the Rangers a 3-2 lead late in the second.
Reinhart got his second of the first period with Matt Rempe in the box for roughing. It was a questionable call. Rempe finished a check on Reinhart, who went down after taking a windmill into the boards. Rempe’s strength worked against him again.
Matt Rempe's Roughing penalty against Sam Reinhart that led to Reinhart's second power play goal. pic.twitter.com/OSwx6NwGrx
Previously, Sam Bennett turned an Adam Fox shove into a deliberate attempt to interfere with Shesterkin. He made no attempt to get out of the way and smirked. Shesterkin voiced his displeasure to the refs during a stoppage. Bennett is the same player who got away with a rabbit punch on Brad Marchand last round.
Miller’s clearing attempt was knocked down by Verhaeghe. He then got the puck to Reinhart, who had his backhand deflect off Trouba’s skate underneath Shesterkin to tie the score.
Earlier in the first, with Braden Schneider off for delay of game, Miller had his clear around the boards intercepted by Tkachuk at the blue line. He then moved the puck down to Aleksander Barkov, who slid it for Reinhart. He then came out and slipped a backhand past Shesterkin for the game’s first goal.
The Panthers pressed for more. However, Shesterkin held them off the scoreboard. Despite some early dominance from Florida, the Rangers were able to tie the game thanks to Lafreniere. On a Trouba pass up for Trocheck, he sent Lafreniere in for a backhand that beat Bobrovsky high glove to tie the score.
On the next shift, Laviolette sent his fourth line out. Thanks to some good work down low from Will Cuylle, he moved the puck up for a Schneider point shot that Goodrow tipped past a screened Bobrovsky for a 2-1 lead. He never saw the puck due to Rempe, who stood in front of him.
The Panthers drew even thanks to Reinhart’s second power-play goal of the period. All Miller could do was hang his head when he got to the bench. His two mistakes gave Florida three power-play goals in two games.
Buoyed by Reinhart’s second of the game, the Panthers began to take control. They spent a good portion of the final five minutes in the Rangers’ zone. It remained tied thanks to Shesterkin, who managed to stop 12 of 14 shots.
In the second period, the Rangers got two straight power plays. Trouba drew an interference minor on Kevin Stenlund. The first power play was so bad that it did virtually nothing. Fox had a tough time on it. Erik Gustafsson replaced him. He was more effective.
Halfway through the contest, Zibanejad took a Barkov high stick to put the Rangers back on the man advantage. The top unit was so ineffective that Laviolette took them off after 45 seconds. The second unit was no better. The Panthers’ aggressiveness seems to have caused the power play to panic with the puck. They remain 0 for the series. It’s up to 0 for 8.
In a tighter played period, the Blueshirts outshot the Panthers 7-5. They were much better at five-on-five. On a good breakout from Miller, Trouba got the puck up for Lafreniere, who did the rest. He gained the Panthers’ zone with speed and then dusted both Dmitry Kulikov and Oliver Ekman-Larsson to score an incredible goal that put the Rangers in front with 4:37 remaining.
He maneuvered around Kulikov and, in one motion, deked and beat Bobrovsky on a filthy backhand. Ekman-Larsson was fooled so badly that he tripped Lafreniere into Bobrovsky on the goal. Fortunately, Lafreniere’s skate didn’t make contact with Bobrovsky up high. That could’ve been bad.
With the Rangers up by a goal, Trouba gad a very bad sequence that could’ve proved costly. He first got called for a slash on Bennett. Then, he went for a desperation hit on Rodrigues with his elbow extended. Had he made serious head contact, it would’ve been a major, game misconduct, and suspension. Instead, the Panthers had a four-minute power play.
In the first minute of it, Ryan Lindgren sent a clear down the ice. It went into the corner for Trocheck to play it. He then skated around the net and patiently waited for the Panthers to chase him. That allowed him to find a cutting Goodrow for a one-timer that beat Bobrovsky top shelf for a shorthanded goal with 1:46 left. That made it 4-2.
The Panthers were unable to do much on the remainder of the power play, which carried over to the third period. After Trouba returned, they finally picked it up.
On an extended shift in the Rangers’ zone, they had the puck on a string. Eventually, the Barkov line tired out the Wennberg line with Miller and Trouba. Niko Mikkola pinched in to keep the puck alive for Verhaeghe. He then sent it in front for Barkov, who had it go off his body past Shesterkin to cut the deficit to 4-3 with 14:56 left.
On the goal, Barkov snuck past Trocheck to put himself in a perfect position to get his first of the series. He’s a very smart player. From that moment, the ice became tilted.
The Panthers kept coming. You knew it was only a matter of time. If there was one gripe, it was self-inflicted for the Rangers. For some reason, Zibanejad iced the puck when there was no pressure on him. That was a big mistake.
He then lost the defensive draw clean to Rodrigues. Rodrigues got the puck over to Tkachuk, who then found an isolated Forsling in the left circle. With Filip Chytil nowhere near him, Forsling had plenty of time to skate in and fire a laser high glove on Shesterkin to tie the score with 13:02 remaining.
It looked like the Rangers wouldn’t hang on. They looked exhausted. With the Panthers coming close to taking the lead, Laviolette tried to give his team a chance to regroup. He took a timeout with 11:30 left.
Initially, they responded. Zibanejad got a shot on Bobrovsky. Trocheck then missed wide. Artemi Panarin had a shot blocked. He was a non-factor. The effort was there. But the Panthers have swarmed Panarin, making it tough on him. When he attempts shots, they’re usually blocked. The Rangers desperately need Panarin and Zibanejad to get going if they want to advance.
Following a good defensive play in his zone, Gustafsson joined the rush and tested Bobrovsky. He had a second straight solid game.
That was followed by some anxious moments. Forsling got another chance to score. This time, he drew iron. The Rangers then scrambled around. Verhaeghe had a shot blocked by Miller. He also missed two more attempts. He totaled 20 attempts for the game. Seven were on goal. In the three games, he’s been the Panthers’ best player.
With 6:20 left, Zibanejad thought Barkov high-sticked him. At least, that’s what both refs indicated. However, video review confirmed that Barkov lifted his stick free and that it was Zibanejad’s stick that cut himself. A double minor was overturned.
Then, Trouba was forced to take a holding penalty after breaking his stick. It eliminated a scoring chance. That left it up to the penalty kill. The four-man unit of Fox, Lindgren, Trocheck, and Goodrow were exhausted. Verhaeghe kept firing away on Shesterkin, who made the clutch stops. There also were some misses from Verhaeghe and Reinhart. That sure helped.
With the Rangers just content to play for overtime, they kept icing the puck. It led to some dangerous chances. They defended most of the net front well. But when Tkachuk had the game on his stick, Shesterkin never blinked. He made the save of the game with 39 seconds left to send it to overtime.
At the start, it felt like a continuation of the third period. The Rangers were on their heels. Shesterkin stopped Barkov six seconds in. He then denied Tkachuk and Brandon Montour later.
A good move by Lafreniere allowed him to get a tough shot on Bobrovsky that he just got a piece of to keep it out. Even with them finally getting their legs, there was another scary moment when Vladimir Tarasenko was nearly in. But Trocheck made a huge block to deny his bid.
Chytil sent a long shot that bounced into Bobrovsky, who decided to freeze the puck for a faceoff. That innocent looking play proved to be the difference.
On the faceoff, Wennberg beat Rodrigues. Kaapo Kakko helped out. Then, Jack Roslovic tipped the puck back for a Lindgren point shot that Wennberg tipped in to win the game at 5:35 of overtime.
It happened so quickly. Wennberg got free of Rodrigues in front. He was left all alone to deflect home the Lindgren shot for the overtime winner.
They couldn’t have drawn it up any better. As MSG Network’s Dave Maloney put it, “There was a robbery in Florida.”
The bottom line is that Shesterkin stole the game. The Rangers were so bad in the third period that they probably should’ve lost in regulation. Somehow, it’s considered a comeback win. But they led 4-2. The Panthers might regret not winning it.
Now, the Rangers lead the series. The pressure is back on the Panthers. They need to win Game 4 on Tuesday night to tie the series. What a wild game.
On a beautiful Sunday afternoon during Memorial Day weekend, the Rangers take on the Panthers in Game 3 from Sunrise, Florida.
After dropping the first game 3-0 to the Panthers, the Rangers responded by taking Game 2 in overtime 2-1 on Friday night. Barclay Goodrow won it with 5:59 remaining in the first overtime. He took a Vincent Trocheck pass and beat Sergei Bobrovsky high blocker to cap an exciting game.
Previously, Trocheck scored early in the first period on a great pass from Adam Fox. The Panthers evened it later when Carter Verhaeghe cashed in on the power play.
Despite each side getting some scoring chances over the next two periods, nothing was decided. That sent it to overtime. Igor Shesterkin made a pair of big saves on Ryan Lomberg and Eetu Luostarinen before Goodrow played the hero after midnight.
With the best of seven Eastern Conference Final shifting to Florida for the next two games, it’s now a best of five series. The Rangers must come out with a split to regain home ice advantage. They’ll have some support from the New York transplants who live in the sunshine state.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice indicated to reporters that there are no changes to the lineup for today’s game. However, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette knows that he must make at least one change to his lineup.
During the second period on Friday night, Jimmy Vesey suffered an upper-body injury on a Lomberg hit. He’s week-to-week.
Without him, Laviolette could reinsert Kaapo Kakko. He was a healthy scratch for Game 2. It would make sense to get him back in the lineup. Kakko can play on the third line. He’s a good puck possession player who’s defensively responsible.
It makes sense to play Kakko and see how he responds. He’s a better option than either Jonny Brodzinski or Blake Wheeler. Matt Rempe should play again with Goodrow and Will Cuylle on the fourth line. He was very effective.
Filip Chytil spent all of Game 2 with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. He got better as the game went on. If they’re to be successful on the road, the Rangers will need more from Zibanejad. He’s struggled to establish anything while matched up against Aleksander Barkov. Barkov is a tough matchup for anyone due to his combination of skating, strength, and two-way play.
We’ll see what Laviolette decides about that matchup. Barkov hasn’t scored yet in the series. But he’s come very close. He’s one of the game’s best players for a reason. Getting Zibanejad away from Barkov might help.
The Rangers will want to improve on the slumping power play. They’re 0-for-6 in the series. It’s been tough to get anything going against the aggressive Panthers’ penalty kill. They’ve done a good job taking away time and space from Artemi Panarin, Zibanejad, and Fox up top. It would help if Zibanejad looked to shoot the puck more.
They’ll have to move the puck quicker. If Florida is challenging them up top, try to get the puck down low. They could then have a two-on-one for Trocheck and Kreider. It would open up the middle.
This one had you on the edge of your seat. As someone who attended what turned out to be a great game, most fans were up during plays. There was a lot more energy in the building.
The Rangers pulled out a hard fought 2-1 overtime win over the Panthers to tie the series. The best of seven Eastern Conference Final is now down to a best three out of five. It shifts to Florida for the next two games. Game 3 is Sunday afternoon on Memorial Day weekend.
Barclay Goodrow won it in overtime. The gritty center once again came up big in the postseason. All night, he was a factor. Whether it was dominating on faceoffs (10-for-13), including the big win in the defensive zone that led to him scoring at 14:01 in sudden death, or making key defensive plays, Goodrow delivered for the Rangers in a money spot.
It was Goodrow who came through when they needed it most. After beating Kevin Stenlund on the key draw, he put himself in the right spot to receive a Trocheck touch pass at the Panthers’ blue line. Jacob Trouba made the outlet for Goodrow, who moved the puck to Trocheck, who then found Goodrow open. He skated in and beat Sergei Bobrovsky with a perfect shot high blocker inside the far goalpost.
Up to that point, the overtime had been close to even. Unlike most of regulation, the Blueshirts found some open ice. A few minutes earlier, Filip Chytil looked to have the game on his stick. He got to a Chris Kreider rebound in front. With Bobrovsky down, Chytil fired the puck towards the net when it hit Oliver Ekman-Larsson in the back. Had he not blocked it, that would’ve ended it sooner.
Instead, the teams played on. After the Rangers iced the puck past the halfway point, they got a break due to the ice scrape. Following it, Goodrow blocked a shot. It was his play that really stood out. When he was with Matt Rempe, who Laviolette reinserted into the lineup for Kaapo Kakko, Goodrow made things happen. So did Rempe, who registered a game high nine hits in 10:02 of ice time.
Rempe was one of the best Rangers’ skaters. He had his best game in Game 2 of the Conference Finals. Laviolette was forced to mix and match after losing Jimmy Vesey to an upper-body injury on a hit from Ryan Lomberg. It looked serious. He was in a lot of pain when he left the ice. Without Vesey, Laviolette had Will Cuylle take some shifts with Goodrow and Rempe. He trusted them in a tie game late in regulation. A noticeable difference from how he coached Game 1.
With less than seven minutes left in sudden death, Eetu Luostarinen had a dangerous chance to win it. His wrap-around try was denied by Igor Shesterkin. You could feel the anxiety from the crowd. Shesterkin was eventually able to freeze the puck on another Luostarinen backhand that went wide. Everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Then, Laviolette sent Goodrow out with Trocheck and Cuylle. With Trocheck having an off night on faceoffs (7-for-7), Goodrow took the defensive draw and won it. After Trouba absorbed a hit from the gritty Lomberg, he moved the puck up for Goodrow, who worked a give and go with Trocheck. He sprung Goodrow for the winner with 5:59 left in the first overtime.
Players poured off the bench to congratulate Goodrow. It was his second career overtime winner in the playoffs. He scored for the Sharks to beat the Golden Knights on Apr. 23, 2019.
The goal was Goodrow’s fourth of this postseason. It’s a new career high. After a regular season in which he scored four goals in 80 games, he’s already matched that output. He’s the definition of a high character player who shows up in pressure packed situations. Ask the Lightning how much he meant to their two Stanley Cups.
Goodrow isn’t paid $3.6 for the regular season. It’s for games like Friday night. His team was staring at being down 0-2 with the next two games in Florida. That wouldn’t have been ideal for the Rangers against the very tough Panthers. It would’ve meant winning four of the next five to come back and take the series.
Now, the Eastern Conference Final is tied. Anything can happen. As expected, it’s been a very close series. After the Panthers took the first game 3-0 thanks to stronger play at even strength, the Rangers came back with a better effort to even it up. They needed to work overtime but got the job done.
Unlike Game 1, the Rangers came out with more energy. They skated with purpose. On the first shift, the Mika Zibanejad line spent some time in the Panthers’ zone. As expected, Chytil moved up on the line to play with Kreider and Zibanejad. Jack Roslovic slid down to the third line with Alex Wennberg and Cuylle.
If there was an interesting development early on, Laviolette opted to get the Goodrow line on for a shift before Trocheck. The crowd responded to Rempe with chants. He got an early hit on Brandon Montour, which drew the Garden’s approval.
When asked about it afterward, he told reporters that he didn’t want to disappoint the fans. He was very complimentary.
them proud. I want to go out there and do something. Do something with the shift. How can you not have energy when they're chanting that. It's awesome. Unbelievable." (2/2)
If there was a noticeable difference from the first game, Laviolette rolled all four lines. He showed more trust in using everyone. That included Rempe, who was very effective on the forecheck and responsible defensively. A sharp contrast to how he was utilized against the Hurricanes last round.
The strategy paid dividends. On a good offensive shift from the Trocheck line, Alexis Lafreniere decked Carter Verhaeghe to force a turnover. Once the puck was free, Artemi Panarin passed it over to Adam Fox, who found a wide open Trocheck for the game’s first goal at 4:12.
Following the goal, the Panthers didn’t take kindly to Lafreniere’s hit on Verhaeghe. A scrum ensued. It included Matthew Tkachuk pinning Trocheck down while Lafreniere got involved with Verhaeghe. Both Lafreniere and Verhaeghe received two for roughing while Tkachuk got the extra roughing minor.
That put the Rangers on the power play. Unlike last series, they’ve been unable to get untracked. The Panthers have done a good job at attacking the top on the penalty kill. They’ve limited the Rangers’ top unit’s time and space. Zibanejad got the only shot that Bobrovsky handled. It was a missed opportunity.
Back at even strength, the fourth line had a good shift in the Panthers’ zone. Rempe got a pair of hits on Sam Bennett and Montour. There definitely was more of a buzz in the building. The Rangers made it a point to finish checks. They out-hit the Panthers 51-40 for the game. Every skater except for Vesey was credited with a hit. Vesey only took nine shifts before exiting the game in the second period. He’s being reevaluated.
During the first half of the opening period, it was mostly Blueshirts. They controlled the tempo by using their speed and skating. A more aggressive approach worked. There was more time spent in the offensive zone. The crowd was into it.
The Panthers continued to play physical. On a play in the neutral zone, Dmitry Kulikov caught Wennberg with a high hit after the puck was gone. It was reviewed for a major penalty. They reduced it to a two-minute interference minor.
After review, Kulikov received a two minute minor for interference on this hit pic.twitter.com/FCsUTe0Lfb
Watching it live, it looked worse. The thing is that Kulikov’s hit was close to targeting the head. But the replay showed that it was shoulder to chest. They got the call right.
Instead of taking advantage, the Rangers again struggled to establish anything on their second power play. They had a couple of sloppy turnovers. One led to Sam Reinhart testing Shesterkin while shorthanded.
Erik Gustafsson replaced a clearly hobbled Fox for the second part of the five-on-four. It was more effective. After going wide with a shot, he got one on Bobrovsky that he stopped. Kreider later missed a tip-in.
Boosted by a second straight successful penalty kill, the Panthers grabbed the momentum. Barkov immediately got a good shot right on Shesterkin that he froze.
Florida began to win more puck battles. They also turned it up. Lomberg caught Zibanejad with a clean hit in the neutral zone that sent him down. He isn’t the biggest player, but he makes things happen. Lomberg was a pain in the ass all game.
During a strong shift from the Barkov line in the Rangers’ zone, Reinhart just missed a good chance. Vesey then blocked a Barkov shot. With Barkov on the puck, Goodrow knocked him down. The refs called Goodrow for a very soft interference minor. It was a hockey play. Barkov clearly sold it.
On the power play, Panthers coach Paul Maurice went with his second unit. After coming close last game, they connected to tie the game. Anton Lundell got the puck over for Bennett. He then passed it over for Verhaeghe, who danced around a sliding Wennberg and fired a shot that banked in off the skate of Ryan Lindgren to tie it with 1:51 remaining.
On Verhaeghe’s power-play goal, Evan Rodrigues did a good job screening Shesterkin in front. He never picked up the shot, which changed direction.
Following his goal, the Panthers pressed for more. The Rangers looked lethargic. Fortunately, they escaped the period without any further damage.
There was a stretch early in the second period when the Panthers looked like they’d go ahead. Shesterkin was sharp, making a few timely saves to keep the game tied. That included a good stop on Tkachuk when he made sure to halt their momentum by getting a faceoff.
The Panthers continued to look for the go-ahead goal. Despite some strong effort from the gritty Lomberg, it never came.
It took a while for the Rangers to get a chance. On a good shift by the third line, Wennberg was all set up. He had his rising shot hit the crossbar. Bobrovsky later stopped Fox from long distance.
The hitting continued. On a play in the defensive zone, Braden Schneider delivered a clean check on Bennett that drew the crowd’s approval.
On a dangerous opportunity in front, Montour got loose for a backhand that Shesterkin made a big save on. It was his best of the period.
With over eight minutes remaining, Lomberg caught Vesey with a big hit that injured him. He struggled to get to the bench. It looked like he injured his forearm. Vesey was done for the game.
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) May 25, 2024
Forced to shuffle the deck, Laviolette did a good job using his remaining bottom five forwards. He had Cuylle sub in for Vesey with Goodrow and Rempe. They were very effective when their numbers were called. Cuylle is versatile enough to play either on the third or fourth line. He had another strong game, finishing with four shots and three hits in over 16 minutes of action.
With 7:45 left in a tie game, Chytil and Stenlund each received minor penalties to create a four-on-four. During it, Kreider took a high stick from Aaron Ekblad to put the Rangers back on the power play.
On a four-on-three, the Rangers’ unit of Fox, Panarin, Zibanejad, and Kreider were reluctant to shoot the puck. Especially Fox and Zibanejad. It made it easier on the Panthers’ penalty killers. Bobrovsky stopped Kreider twice.
When it became five-on-four, Trocheck joined Lafreniere, Wennberg, Chytil, and Gustafsson. They weren’t able to accomplish much.
Late in the period, Barkov nearly scored. He went around Zibanejad and got a dangerous chance in front that Shesterkin stopped. That was a clutch stop.
Facing puck pressure from Rodrigues in the final minute, Fox coughed up the puck. He then got called for holding. Rodrigues basically pulled his stick into Fox to draw the penalty. It’s an old trick.
The Rangers were able to get to the locker room still tied. Considering how it ended, it felt like relief.
In the third period, Verhaeghe negated the remainder of the Panthers’ power play by high-sticking Trouba. Shesterkin made two key saves on Montour and Lundell to keep it tied during the four-on-four.
On an abbreviated man advantage, the Rangers managed only one long Panarin shot that Bobrovsky stopped.
The rest of the period was tightly contested. Both sides knew that the next goal would probably decide it. Cuylle got a good chance that Bobrovsky turned away. Reinhart fanned on a shot from point blank range.
With under five minutes left, Zibanejad had his shot hit the crossbar. It came when his line was out against the Panthers’ fourth line. They almost took advantage of the matchup. Laviolette should try to get Zibanejad away from Barkov as much as possible when the series resumes tomorrow.
With less than two minutes left in regulation, Laviolette sent Rempe out with Goodrow and Kreider. He made a nice block on a Gustav Forsling shot to cheers.
Both Roslovic and K’Andre Miller had shots miss wide late. As I told a fan in our section a few minutes earlier, this one would go to overtime.
Given that only once has the home team gone down 2-0 in the Conference Finals and rallied back to win (1954 Red Wings), it felt like do or die for the Rangers. They’re up against a tough opponent who’s trying to do what they couldn’t last year. It wasn’t a shock that it was a low scoring game that went to sudden death.
Early in the extra session, the Rangers tried to end it. They definitely went for it. That’s the only way to play in such a pressure packed scenario. Cuylle had a deflection stopped by Bobrovsky in the first minute.
Not even two minutes in, Rempe had a step on Forsling. But the Panthers defenseman recovered to block his shot. It was his only shift in overtime. He skated very well.
Shots were few and far between. Lomberg got a clean look, but Shesterkin sealed up the near goalpost to get a stoppage. Lomberg doesn’t play a lot for Maurice. But you always notice him. He’s a hard-nosed player.
There weren’t many mistakes by either side. It was close to the vest.
Cuylle nearly had a breakaway. But he over skated the puck. The Rangers found some openings in the Florida defense. The stretch pass to the weak side seemed to work. We’ll see if that carries over.
Kreider got open in the slot for a good shot that Kulikov blocked. He then sent a rebound wide. The puck came right to Chytil in front. It looked like he had an open net. But his shot was blocked by Ekman-Larsson. That saved the game for the Panthers.
Then came a tricky sequence for Shesterkin. Luostarinen had some room behind the net. His wrap-around was kept out by Shesterkin. That was the only nervous point of the overtime.
With 6:25 left, out came Goodrow for an important faceoff against Stenlund in the defensive zone. After winning it, he’d be directly involved in the dramatic overtime winner.
In his end, Trouba took a tough hit from Lomberg. He then lifted a high pass in midair up for Goodrow, who knocked it down and got the puck over for Trocheck. Once they were onside, Trocheck made a great saucer pass that was right on Goodrow’s stick. He immediately moved in and let go of a wrist shot that beat Bobrovsky to win win the game.
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) May 25, 2024
As is customary, they reviewed the play for a high stick. It wasn’t close. I knew it was a good goal. It was a fun celebration both on the ice and in the stands.
It was great to see such a big game. It didn’t disappoint. Now, it’s all about what happens in Florida. The Rangers need to get one of the next two to grab home ice back. They’ll have support in the stands.
It sure is exciting. This is the best time of year for a reason. Let’s enjoy it.
It doesn’t matter who’s in the lineup. Even if coach Peter Laviolette inserts Matt Rempe to try to provide a spark, his team must respond to the Panthers’ challenge tonight.
There’s no doubt that they must play with more urgency. That means matching their opponent’s intensity. Too many battles were lost in the 3-0 shutout defeat in Game 1.
Even though it took until there were less than four minutes left in the first period for Matthew Tkachuk to beat Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers were on their heels. They had trouble with the relentless Panthers’ forecheck. Their aggressiveness caused turnovers and made it difficult for the Rangers to have clean breakouts.
Florida plays a very heavy game. They pinch their defensemen and hit hard. The Rangers must be on their toes to counter that style.
If they can chip pucks behind the Panthers, that could create odd man rushes in transition. Braden Schneider had one such opportunity following the Tkachuk goal. He took a Kaapo Kakko outlet and went in alone on Sergei Bobrovsky but hit the goalpost.
Will Cuylle had another chance later when he got behind the Florida defense and got a breakaway. Bobrovsky turned him away. Cuylle needs to play more than the seven and a half minutes he received on Wednesday night. He was effective due to his physicality. In limited duty, he had four hits. The Rangers need more of that if they want to send the series back to Florida even.
It was easy to see that Adam Fox struggled again the other night. The knee on knee hit he took from Capitals defenseman Nick Jensen in Game 4 of the first round seems to have limited his effectiveness. A hobbled Fox had trouble skating back for a puck when the Rangers’ net was empty.
Fox remains the most important skater for the Blueshirts. If he’s less than 100 percent, it’ll be tough for them to be successful. They don’t have another defenseman who can log the important minutes he does. He is the quarterback on the power play. He also kills penalties with K’Andre Miller on a unit that blanketed the Panthers in three chances.
More than that, Fox is the heady player who can skate the puck up in transition and make a difference. He can jump-start an offense that didn’t have enough Grade A chances against Bobrovsky. If he’s good enough to play, he has to make an impact.
Whether or not Laviolette decides to play Rempe and scratch Kakko, that’s only a small change. It’s up to the Rangers’ best players to step up their game tonight.
I asked #NYR Matt Rempe what it’s like hearing Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Henrik Lundqvist saying that he should be in the lineup:
“It’s unbelievable, those guys are legends. It’s an honor — to even be talked about by them is pretty damn cool. You hear those types of things…
That means better games from Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, and Artemi Panarin. Panarin’s line with Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere spent some time generating chances in the Panthers zone. But they went a combined -8.
Lafreniere came the closest to tying it. But had his rebound hit the goalpost in the third period. He later had the misfortune of putting Carter Verhaeghe’s centering pass into his own net. That took the wind out of their sails. It wasn’t on him totally. Shesterkin turned over the puck right to Verhaeghe, who then tried to get it across for Tkachuk when Lafreniere accidentally put it past his own goalie.
Laviolette needs to have more patience than he did in Game 1. In the frantic third, he double shifted Panarin, Zibanejad, Kreider, Trocheck, and Lafreniere. That meant he didn’t trust the rest of his forwards enough. They were only down one goal. He can’t do that. That’s not how the Rangers had success this season.
If there’s one thing they can change, it’s to be quicker than their opponent. Get pucks deep and forecheck. Something that was uncommon except for a couple of shifts. Be the aggressor. It’s important for them to get out to a good start. That’ll get the crowd into it. They can feed off the energy.
Regarding the hit Filip Chytil took from Niko Mikkola in the waning seconds on Wednesday, the Rangers must deliver a strong response. They can do it with how they play. That means scoring first and targeting Mikkola with clean checks. They must pick their spots wisely.
This isn’t like the first two rounds. The Rangers are playing from behind. They know the significance of this game. Play like you mean it. Most importantly, come out with the victory. Let the Panthers know they’re in for a series.
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Derek
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