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..
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.
Devils expected to make the Sheldon Keefe hire official tomorrow. Keefe had a two-year extension kicking in with the Leafs next season but the Devils ripped that up and signed him to a fresh four-year deal (hint, got a raise over what the 2-year extension would have paid).
More than a month after the Devils’ season came to a quiet end, and closer to two months since I stopped caring about the 2023-24 season, the Devils finally have made some big news in the announcement of a new head coach. On the one hand, I’m not surprised one of the bigger names on the market in Sheldon Keefe has apparently taken the job, on the other I’m relieved that GM Tom Fitzgerald seemingly put a little ego aside after last year’s reality check and went for (arguably) the best guy available rather than just rolling the dice on some young assistant who’ll presumably do management’s bidding and go by the numbers.
Say what you want about Keefe and his failure to get the Leafs over the top, but having experience managing younger star players in a big market can only help here. Heck, he doesn’t even need to worry about the bigger market here – we’ll be a day at the beach for him compared to the Toronto meat grinder, which by all accounts he seemingly handled well without snapping at the media in potentially viral moments. If you want to look for viral moments, only two stand out – one of them his good-bye message less than two weeks ago to Leafs fans, presumably on vacation after a brutal end to his season, the other being footage of an intermission playoff team talk. You definitely see…fire in that one at least. Seemingly more so than at least our last few head coaches.
I don’t remember even thinking Keefe was a possibility last month when I was wondering who Fitz was going to get as our next coach considering he was still employed by the Leafs as of two weeks ago, although you know certain coaches might be on the hot seat if they don’t get playoff results and he was obviously one of them. Are there reservations he could be one of those guys who continually finds ways to come up short, sure but let’s be honest – we can’t concern ourselves with playoff exits yet until we start consistently making the playoffs again. Last year surprising the league didn’t cement us as a perennial winner, as this year proved.
Plus, it’s not like the coaching market was full of proven winners – forgetting about the two recent Cup-winning sociopaths who shall remain nameless since they likely won’t be getting jobs this offseason anyway (one being still on the ineligible list, the other likely getting himself blackballed after the Columbus fiasco last fall), where were the guys with better track records than Keefe on the market? You could argue Craig Berube, who does have a Cup win but is also under .500 in the playoffs, and his teams declined in St. Louis while they got a significant new coach bounce the rest of this season.
Thing is, I think Toronto (once they became available) was always going to have first pick of the available coaches and they clearly wanted Berube themselves. They’ve been more consistent winners than we have in recent years with several big-name stars in their prime, and a star-crossed big hockey market where if you win there, you’re forever a legend a la Theo Epstein with both the Red Sox and Cubs in baseball. Given that Toronto hired him, and the fact guys like Mike Sullivan and Rod Brind’Amour who were rumored to move this offseason didn’t, then we were likely going to have the next pick of coaches available. Fitz did take his time, seeing which way the playoff landscape fell – but also acted quickly when Keefe became available.
Admittedly I’ve paid very little attention to Keefe as Leafs coach so I can’t really give the first critique of whether I think he’ll solve our structural issues or enforce accountability up and down the roster and not just with younger players and role guys. Let’s be honest, he also took over the Leafs after their rebuild and their first couple of playoff appearances, so it’s hard to say how much he really had to do with winning or losing there…but I can’t really knock just making the playoffs after our post-2012 record of only making it twice and just winning one playoff series total. I don’t know how much you can fault him for losing to teams like Boston, Tampa and more recently Florida in the postseason with the Leafs’ stacked division the last few years but for whatever reason he couldn’t take the Leafs to that next level.
You can’t win or lose anything at a press conference, but I’ll be looking forward to starting to learn about our new head coach whenever we actually announce his hiring officially and schedule the presser. Especially since the offseason’s been a bit of a wet blanket so far. We didn’t move up or down in the NHL Draft this time, which I’m more than fine with to be honest, I’d rather just get the draft over with and not be reminded of this past season ever again, and hopefully this’ll be the last draft where I’m actually paying attention to a first-round pick for the next several years. Fitz jumping the shark to re-sign four-minute a game enforcer Kurtis MacDermid (he of the zero career playoff games played) to a three-year deal was eye-rolling. Not exactly cost prohibitive given he signed at barely above minimum salary, but still eye-rolling. Today’s not the day for the goon debate though.
Ironically the only coach openings who have been filled so far this offseason besides us and the Leafs were the two guys both hired…after being let go by us in the last few months. Unless you’ve been living on Mars, you know that Lindy Ruff’s ‘gone home again’ to Buffalo in a pairing that optically fits both sides. One of my friends was like, why would they hire him – he sucks and I was like well, they had their best success (and consistently) in almost thirty years with him as the coach lol. Besides, it’s not like they’ve been hiring winners since letting him go anyway.
To be fair, we had our best success in the last decade with Lindy as well before the roof fell in this year. We don’t have to get into why or assign portions of blame, which is basically an opinion from the outside anyway. True, second time around doesn’t usually work, Jacques Lemaire 2.0 was one example of this with us in 2010 – or Jacques Martin with Ottawa a lot more recently – but with the Sabres’ lack of post-Lindy success it only made sense to bring in someone with credibility among the fanbase and give him a crack with a younger roster. What made far less sense to me was Ottawa jumping to hire…Travis Green?! Really?! Maybe they’re hoping to catch lightning in a bottle the way the Canucks did with Rick Tocchet this year after he failed twice as a head coach before, but there’s no real tangible rationalization for them to have not only hired Green but done it so early in the offseason as if they were worried other teams would be in on him.
Some organizations just show you why they lose. To be fair we haven’t exactly left loserville permanently yet either, but at least Fitz is trying the right thing now. You can’t exactly trust a win-now team that still needs direction to an inexperienced younger coach and unless you wanted to hope fifth time would be the charm for a guy like Bruce Boudreau, Keefe was the chalk play and one with no apparent prior connection to Fitz so it doesn’t seem like a nepotism hire at least. Now we see what Fitz and the rest of his management team will do with the roster on the ice going forward.
This was one to forget. Game 1 was all about the Panthers. They controlled it throughout to cruise to a 3-0 shutout win over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
Led by Matthew Tkachuk, the Panthers grabbed a 1-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Final. His goal with 3:34 left in the first period was the game-winner. He also laid a couple of big hits early, including catching Vincent Trocheck with his head down.
It was big boy hockey played by the relentless Panthers, who clawed the Rangers at every turn. They used their physicality early to set a tone. In particular, there were some big hits that caused the Rangers some trouble. It led to a few turnovers in an uneven first period.
Florida got off to a good start. They wreaked havoc with their unique combination of speed, checking, and aggressive style. The Rangers looked a couple of steps behind. They couldn’t make much happen in transition. There was a lot of one and done.
Artemi Panarin found little room to make plays. He was swarmed by Cats throughout the game. He still managed to get three shots on net. None were dangerous against close friend Sergei Bobrovsky, who stopped all 23 shots to earn the shutout.
There wasn’t much from Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, and Jack Roslovic. They didn’t spend enough time in the Panthers’ zone. Even when coach Peter Laviolette kept the Zibanejad line away from Aleksander Barkov, it didn’t matter. That’ll need to change on Friday.
Shots were hard to come by. The stingy Panthers’ defense made it tough on the Blueshirts. They tried some of those passes through the middle of the ice. They were intercepted by Paul Maurice’s well schooled team.
For most of the first, Igor Shesterkin made some timely saves to keep it scoreless. The Panthers generated chances on the forecheck. What made it tough was how aggressive they were. With key defensemen Brandon Montour, Gustav Forsling, and Aaron Ekblad pinching to keep plays alive, it felt like the Rangers were spinning around in circles.
Even the Panthers’ fourth line spent time in attack mode. It wasn’t a good night for the Rangers’ third line. Filip Chytil wasn’t able to establish much with Alex Wennberg and Kaapo Kakko. By the third period, Laviolette started mixing and matching. In search for offense, he had Chytil take a shift with Alexis Lafreniere and Kakko. Chytil and Kakko also got a shift with Panarin.
Despite turning over pucks, the Rangers limited the Panthers for most of the first period. Jacob Trouba gave away the puck behind his net to Vladimir Tarasenko. Trouba took a hooking minor on Barkov.
The Rangers got the job done on the penalty kill. They limited the Panthers to one shot. Sam Reinhart had his wrist shot stopped by Shesterkin. Kreider made a good defensive play and cleared the zone late in the kill to get out of trouble.
Following a turnover in his own zone, a hustling Lafreniere made a diving block to deny Anton Lundell. On the same shift, he stayed with a bouncing puck to get a good shot right on Bobrovsky.
With the game still scoreless, Carter Verhaeghe started a play in transition up to Forsling. He then made a nice drop pass for Tkachuk, who used Adam Fox as a partial screen to beat Shesterkin at 16:26.
Over a minute later, with the Panthers pressing for more, Kakko sent Braden Schneider on a clean breakaway. Schneider had Bobrovsky beat but hit the goalpost. That’s the kind of night it was.
After getting outshot 9-5, the Rangers came out with more focus at the start of the second period. It led to another great opportunity. This time, Will Cuylle got behind the Panthers for a breakaway. But Bobrovsky came out to deny him with a big save.
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) May 23, 2024
He’d also deny Trocheck on a tip-in. After only totaling five shots in the first period, the Rangers had four shots in the first two minutes of the second. It looked like they were going to tie it. Then, their momentum just stopped.
For the remainder of the period, they only had three more shots. They went over 12 minutes without getting a shot. It was frustrating. Especially when they applied some pressure on one shift. Lafreniere had a shot miss over the top. Then, Zibanejad fired wide. The Panthers also blocked 19 shots.
Roslovic took an undisciplined, high-sticking minor on Ekman-Larsson in the offensive zone. That killed their momentum. Even though they easily killed off the penalty, the Rangers couldn’t get anything going afterward. You could’ve taken a nap and not missed anything. That’s how boring that stretch was.
On one end, the Panthers kept coming close to getting the second goal. Shesterkin made a great save to rob Barkov in front. Even though he didn’t record a point, the Panthers captain dominated. He was outstanding in all facets. That included getting back to break up a play defensively.
If there was one Blueshirt who didn’t look overwhelmed, it was Cuylle. He delivered a few big hits. He was noticeable during most shifts. For some reason, he only played 7:45 over 16 shifts. It’s utterly ridiculous. The Rangers need Cuylle’s energy. It’s being wasted if he’s playing sparingly on the fourth line.
Despite getting outplayed by a wide margin, the Rangers went to their first power play when Sam Bennett grabbed Fox’s stick. The problem was that it came with 1:26 left. Kreider had a deflection stopped by Bobrovsky. Zibanejad had a backhand stopped before time expired.
The Panthers killed the remainder at the start of the third period. The game remained 1-0 for seemingly ever.
When Erik Gustafsson had a great chance to shoot, he instead passed the puck over for a Kakko one-timer that Bobrovsky got just enough of on his near goalpost to keep it out. The replay showed that it was much closer than I thought. Many fans groaned when Gustafsson passed. It looked like he had a better opportunity.
On another play in transition, it looked like Ekman-Larsson had put the Panthers ahead 2-0. But Ryan Lomberg made enough contact with Shesterkin for Laviolette to challenge for goalie interference. He was shoved from behind by Ryan Lindgren. However, it was clear that Lomberg didn’t attempt to avoid Shesterkin. Lindgren’s shove came afterward.
They got it right. The goal was overturned. With the crowd finally awake, the Rangers still couldn’t get much going. More exasperating was that the refs missed Trocheck’s stick being held behind the Panthers’ net. Instead, Lafreniere was caught hooking down Dmitry Kulikov.
Shesterkin made a couple of stops to keep it at one goal. Lundell also had a deflection hit the crossbar. When Lafreniere returned, the crowd came to life. Almost immediately, Trouba leveled Kevin Stenlund. Following that big hit, the Rangers came very close to tying it.
After Bobrovsky made a pair of saves on Wennberg, Trouba had a shot blocked by Nick Cousins. The puck came right to Lafreniere in the slot. But his shot hit the goalpost. That’s how it went for Lafreniere.
On the next shift, the Panthers got caught with too many men. Vladimir Tarasenko came on the ice too soon. Maurice went crazy on the bench. However, it was the right call.
The Rangers again came close to evening it. But Trocheck waited too long before shooting into the pads of Bobrovsky. Had he been quicker, there was room on the short side up top. Fox also had a one-timer stopped. That was it.
With under four minutes left in regulation, Shesterkin came out to play a puck. However, he made a big mistake by giving it away to Verhaeghe.
With Shesterkin back in his net and Verhaeghe looking to center a pass across, Lafreniere came back to try to stop the pass. Instead, he accidentally put the puck by Shesterkin into his own net. That was the backbreaker. Verhaeghe got credit for an own goal to make it 2-0 with 3:48 remaining.
The Blueshirts lifted Shesterkin for a six-on-five with three and a half minutes left. They came close again. Bobrovsky made a good save on Zibanejad. He also shut the door on both Lafreniere and Panarin.
Finally, Bennett took a pass from Tkachuk and hit the open net from his own end with 79 seconds left.
With only a few seconds to go, Mikkola hit Chytil into the boards. He was able to get up. Hopefully, he’s okay.
Whatever the case, it wasn’t the Rangers’ night. They were outclassed. The Panthers were faster and better in every facet. Even Bobrovsky outplayed Shesterkin. There wasn’t a whole lot to like. However, it’s one game.
What they have to do is turn the page. Make adjustments. I thought Kreider said it best.
"This is not an excuse at all because we're both playing on the same ice. But the ice wasn't the best. But that's gonna be the case at this time of year. They put everything behind us and they went to work"
He’s correct. The ice was bad for both teams. It’s hot out. But he also noted how the Panthers put everything behind them and went to work. There wasn’t enough of that from the Rangers. Neither was there much energy.
Mark Messier called for Matt Rempe to play in Game 2. He was very disappointed in the Rangers’ play the first two periods. So was P.K. Subban. Can they use Rempe’s energy? Yes and no. They shouldn’t need him to get up for these games. It’s the Conference Finals. We’ll see what Laviolette decides.
The Rangers really need to win on Friday. In order to do that, they must establish a forecheck and get more shots through on Bobrovsky. They need to score early and play from ahead. This is a better quality opponent who doesn’t sit back. It’s a step up.
It all begins tonight. The Conference Finals will determine who plays for Lord Stanley. The Rangers are looking to book their ticket when they battle the Panthers.
The Eastern Conference Final features the two best teams. The Rangers finished with the league’s best record to win the Presidents’ Trophy. The Panthers won the Atlantic Division with 110 points. Four points separated the two teams during the regular season.
After sweeping the Capitals, the Rangers earned a place in the Final 4 by taking out the resilient Hurricanes in a closely fought six-game series. They once led 3-0 before the Canes stormed back. It took a great performance by Chris Kreider in the third period of Game 6 to eliminate Carolina. Now, they’re a giant step away from playing for the Stanley Cup.
The Panthers proved to have too much against the interstate rival Lightning in a five-game series win in a competitive first round. After losing the first game against the Bruins, they took control of the second round by taking the next three games. Boston made it interesting by forcing a Game 6 back in their building. Undeterred, the Panthers used a Gustav Forsling goal late in regulation to defeat the Bruins in six games.
A year ago, the Panthers upset the Bruins to go on a run to the Stanley Cup Finals. But after sweeping the Hurricanes, they lost to the Golden Knights in five. They’re seeking to win the franchise’s first Cup since its inception in 1993-94.
There’s no doubt that the Panthers are very proven. They want to finish what they started. The Rangers will face their toughest test yet.
Rather than go through the matchups, let’s look at some of the key players instead.
The Panthers boast two of the game’s best in Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk. Barkov is one of the league’s best two-way players. The Panthers captain is a great skater with dynamic skills. He can make it look easy.
Tkachuk is the player you love if he’s on your side or you hate if he’s not. A physical power forward who hits hard, he’s an elite player who makes a living in front of the net. Tkachuk has changed the way Florida plays. He’ll do anything it takes to win. Asked about facing the Rangers, he was very complimentary.
#Panthers Matthew Tkachuk- “We are expecting the Rangers to give us a very good challenge, they were the best team all regular season and so far have been the best team in the playoffs. It’s a great opportunity for us to show what we’re capable of. Should be a great series.” pic.twitter.com/SouPKrBS4R
If Barkov and Tkachuk are their top stars, Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe rank right behind due to their scoring. Each can light the lamp with regularity.
Reinhart has been lethal since being put with Barkov. Together, they’re a deadly combo. Reinhart had a career high 57 goals this season. His 27 power-play goals led the league. He’s 5-4-9 in the postseason. He can score both in transition and on tip-ins.
Verhaeghe remains a clutch performer. His six goals lead the Panthers in the playoffs. Two have been game-winners. One came in overtime against the Lightning in Game 2 of the first round. When the chips are down, Verhaeghe has a knack for delivering big goals. He likes to go high glove with most of his shots.
Sam Bennett is a gritty forward who plays on the edge. His controversial reverse hit on Brad Marchand last round looked to have been a rabbit punch that kept Marchand out for two games. Bennett then scored a big goal against the Bruins in Game 4. It was also a controversial play due to him shoving Charlie Coyle into Jeremy Swayman to put in a rebound. In just six games this postseason, he has 25 hits. Like Tkachuk, he makes opponents pay.
Flying under the radar is Anton Lundell and Evan Rodrigues. Lundell is still only 22. He’s coming off a strong series in which he had two goals and three assists for five points. Rodrigues is no stranger to facing the Rangers. He was on the Penguins two years ago in a series the Rangers came back to win. A high-energy player who has a good shot, he’s a good secondary scorer. He also likes to hit. Rodrigues is a good player to have.
Vladimir Tarasenko was with the Rangers last year as a rental. He possesses a lethal shot. A bit streaky, Tarasenko is dangerous in transition and on the power play. He can’t be allowed too much room.
Eetu Luostarinen and Nick Cousins are solid depth players. They play hard. Cousins isn’t shy about mixing it up during scrums. Veteran Kyle Okposo has replaced Ryan Lomberg for most of the playoffs. He’s still chasing a Cup. Okposo isn’t the fastest skater. But he makes up for it with smarts.
The Panthers feature a big three on the blue line. They are Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsling, and Brandon Montour. Each will see the bulk of the minutes. Ekblad has been cast in more of a defensive role. Montour and Forsling are superb skaters who can do damage offensively. Both must be paid attention to.
Niko Mikkola was on the Rangers’ side last spring. Now, like Tarasenko, he’s on the Panthers’ side. Mostly a no frills defenseman who can log key minutes, Mikkola is counted on by Florida. He can be attacked on the forecheck. So can Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Mainly a power play specialist, Ekman-Larsson has three of his four points on the man advantage.
Sergei Bobrovsky is the best goalie the Rangers will face. A former two-time Vezina winner, he’s rediscovered himself since last year’s run. He can be a bit streaky. But he’s mostly performed well for the Panthers. They defend well in front of him. That’s why he has a .902 save percentage.
Bobrovsky can sometimes be beaten short side. It’ll be interesting to see if the Rangers try to expose it.
Artemi Panarin is front and center for the Rangers. He’s had his best year to date. Panarin’s followed up a career high 49 goals and 120 points with four goals and seven assists for 11 points in the first two rounds. All four goals have been game-winners, including a nifty redirection that won Game 3 against the Hurricanes. He continues to be aggressive, shooting the puck.
Vincent Trocheck has been the perfect running mate. The do everything center sees the most minutes among Rangers forwards. His postseason has been superb. Tied with Mika Zibanejad for the team lead in scoring with 14 points, that’s included some strong work on the power play. His four power-play goals lead the team. Trocheck is a fixture on the penalty kill and the Rangers’ best center on faceoffs.
Zibanejad has raised his level following an inconsistent regular season. Though he only has five of his 14 points at even strength, he’s made more of an effort at five-on-five. When he’s not producing, he’s responsible defensively.
Sidekick Kreider remains a clutch performer in the playoffs. His third period hat trick erased a two-goal deficit in the Rangers’ 5-3 comeback victory to eliminate the Hurricanes in Game 6. With seven goals, he leads the team. Four have come at even strength, two on the power play, and one shorthanded. He makes his living in front on tips and rebounds. Kreider’s always willing to pay the price.
Not to be forgotten is Alexis Lafreniere. He had a good second round with four goals and two helpers. A tenacious worker on the forecheck, Lafreniere wins a lot of board battles and can keep plays moving. His confidence has grown offensively. He’ll be a key if the Rangers are to advance.
Jack Roslovic came to life in the third period comeback last Thursday. Thanks to his hard work, he assisted on the tying and winning goals Kreider scored. His best asset is his speed. When he’s circling the net, Roslovic can make things happen. He isn’t good defensively. The Rangers need that line to do a better job backchecking.
They’re hoping Filip Chytil can unlock the third line. A good skater who had success playing with Kaapo Kakko and Lafreniere in 2022, Chytil is quick in transition and effective at creating scoring chances on the cycle. With him playing the left wing while Alex Wennberg centers the third line that includes Kakko, it’ll be interesting to see what Chytil can bring. He’s expected to play on the second power play unit.
Barclay Goodrow remains a key contributor as a responsible checking forward. He will start with Will Cuylle and Jimmy Vesey on the fourth line. Adding the capable Cuylle, who isn’t shy about finishing checks or driving to the net, should make them an effective line. Goodrow has stepped it up with three goals, including one of the Rangers’ four shorthanded goals. A key penalty killer with Trocheck, Goodrow plays his role well.
The defense is all about the top four. Headlined by Adam Fox, who wasn’t himself last series due to a leg injury sustained in the first round, the Rangers will need a healthier Fox to win this round. He’s too important to what they do. Hopefully, the time off helped. Fox does everything, including run the power play. He must be better at five-on-five.
Fox and Ryan Lindgren are the staple. Lindgren supplies the grit and hustle. He set up Kreider’s series clincher. It was a nice reward for a guy who has tremendous pride. They’ll want to tighten up the gaps at their blue line. They got beat a few times by the Canes.
After playing mostly with Braden Schneider the first two rounds, K’Andre Miller found himself back with Jacob Trouba for Game 6 last week. Up to this point, Miller’s been the Rangers’ most steady defenseman. He’s done a better job in his end by playing with more edge. A strong skater who’s good at moving the puck in transition, Miller will need to be on his game. Especially to help out Trouba, who’s not as mobile.
Trouba makes up for his lack of speed by taking the body and blocking shots. He can be attacked by opponents in the corners. Expect the Panthers to try to expose that. Trouba will have to do a good job at managing pucks. It’ll be a key to the series. He’s a good penalty killer. The Rangers need him to avoid taking penalties.
Schneider and Erik Gustafsson comprise the third pair. Schneider was a bit more consistent in the first round. He had some trouble with the Canes’ forecheck. Considering that Gustafsson is an adventure defensively, Schneider must be the one who makes good reads in his end. Gustafsson is primarily an offensive defenseman who’s used on the second unit.
Shesterkin is the Rangers’ biggest weapon. He turned away the Hurricanes a lot last round. As his .923 save percentage would indicate, he’s been a rock in net. He’ll want to tighten up on rebounds. Something Carolina exploited to get back in the series last round. He’ll have to deal with traffic this round. Tkachuk and Shesterkin will have their battles.
The Rangers need to do a good job taking care of the net front. The Panthers will go there a ton. They will look to get Shesterkin off his game.
Who wins? That depends on which team can dictate the terms. The Panthers have the edge at five-on-five and defensively. The Rangers are better on special teams and in goal. Shesterkin still gets the edge over Bobrovsky.
It could be a back and forth series with momentum shifts. The teams are evenly matched. Not to be obvious. But the stars must play like stars. Maybe it’ll come down to whichever supporting cast is better. The role players will be important. Especially now.
I don’t have any prediction. I think it’ll go seven games.
The Rangers are making their second appearance in three years in the Conference Finals. Despite winning the Presidents’ Trophy, they remain underdogs in the Final Four.
It’s a role they’re accustomed to. The Vegas odds makers had them behind the Hurricanes and Panthers to come out of the Eastern Conference. Carolina was viewed as the favorite due to the addition of Jake Guentzel. The Panthers are the defending Wales Conference champions.
Even though they earned home ice by finishing with the league’s best record, the Rangers weren’t looked at as the best team. They’ve defied the odds all season long. What’s one more round where they’re being counted out?
The Oilers advanced to the Conference Finals by holding on for a 3-2 win in Game 7 to defeat the Canucks on Monday night. Even they’re getting better odds to win the Stanley Cup. They’ll take on the Stars out West.
The Panthers remain the betting favorite to win the Cup. The Stars and Oilers are right behind. The Rangers are fourth on the list. If you put any stock in it, getting the Rangers at +400 could be worth a few bucks.
Personally, it doesn’t matter. The Rangers know they have their work cut out for them in this round. The Panthers are a more dangerous opponent due to their combination of skill, grit, and physicality. They’re a very effective team at five-on-five. That’ll present a challenge.
Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe, and Sam Reinhart are a handful. Tkachuk will pay the price to score goals. Ever since they acquired him, it’s made the Panthers more formidable. They’re much tougher to play against.
Florida boasts a strong defense featuring Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsling, and Brandon Montour eat up tons of ice time. They’re all good at getting involved offensively.
The Cats possess some strong depth up front. Vladimir Tarasenko is a shooting threat. Anton Lundell is quietly having a good postseason. Sam Bennett is a noted pest. The Bruins can attest to that. Evan Rodrigues has supplied secondary scoring.
Sergei Bobrovsky is also better than Frederik Andersen. He’s more proven. Artemi Panarin knows him well from their days in Columbus. They are best friends who attended each other’s weddings. Of course, there’s no such thing in the playoffs. That’s where the battle lines are drawn.
Panarin has had good success against Bobrovsky. In three meetings between the Rangers and Panthers this season, he scored three goals and added one assist. Florida took the season series by going 2-0-1.
When the puck drops on Wednesday night for Game 1, none of that matters. The Rangers will look to protect home ice. They were successful in the first two rounds- taking the first two games against the Capitals and Hurricanes. They should get a strong challenge from the Panthers.
It’s understandable why Florida is the Cup favorite at this stage. They lost to the Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Finals last year. They have a strong core looking to finish the job.
Paul Maurice is still in search of his first Cup. Despite an impressive resume, he’s 0-for-2 in the Finals. It took him 21 years to get back. His first trip came in 2001-02 with the Hurricanes. They lost to the Red Wings in five. In 2022-23, after the Panthers went through the Bruins, Maple Leafs, and Hurricanes to become Eastern Conference champions, they lost in five to the Golden Knights.
Ironically, it was Peter Laviolette who took over for Maurice in Carolina. He guided the Hurricanes to the Cup in 2005-06. They defeated the Oilers in seven. Laviolette now coaches the Rangers. It’s an intriguing subplot to what should be an exciting series.
Even if they’re not getting much respect from Vegas, the Rangers won’t use that as motivation. They know what’s expected. When things got interesting in the second round, they rose to the challenge. Chris Kreider’s natural hat trick in the third period led to a come from behind 5-3 win over the Hurricanes to take Game 6. They showed tremendous resolve to finally put the Canes away.
There’s enough experience in the Rangers’ locker room to handle the pressure. They didn’t win all of those games for no reason. They’ve proven themselves to reach this point. The goal is to win a championship. Something that hasn’t been done by the franchise in 30 years.
Perhaps they can use what happened in 2022 as some incentive. They won the first two games against the Lightning. However, the former two-time Stanley Cup champs rallied to win the next four games to take the series in six.
It was a valuable lesson learned. A nucleus that includes Kreider, Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox, Ryan Lindgren, Jacob Trouba, K’Andre Miller, Braden Schneider, Vincent Trocheck, Alexis Lafreniere, Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko, Barclay Goodrow, and Igor Shesterkin have been through it before. Only Trocheck wasn’t on that team. He’s been the most important forward for Laviolette. He uses him in every situation, including on key faceoffs.
There are no shortcuts to being successful at this time of the year. It’s all hands on deck.
Whether they’re underdogs or not, it doesn’t matter. Nothing should faze them.
In the second round, Filip Chytil returned to the Rangers for Game 3 against the Hurricanes. After voicing his excitement about finally being back, he wasn’t available for the remainder of the series.
Apparently, the flu was going around. Chytil was out due to illness and aches and pains. Most likely, he was recovering from flu-like symptoms. Over a week later, the 24-year-old center is optimistic about returning for the Conference Finals.
“I want to play,” Chytil told Vince Mercogliano in a story that appeared in the USA Today Network on Sunday. “I didn’t join to just watch the guys from the stands and have a vacation in New York and Florida. I want to play. I’m going to do my best any time I get put in the lineup.”
With Rangers coach Peter Laviolette acknowledging that there were no restrictions on any players, including Blake Wheeler, who skated with the extras at practice, there’s a good indication that Chytil could be ready to go for Game 1 against the Panthers on Wednesday night.
“I feel great now,” he said. “We have a couple more practices and I can work on my game. Let’s see what’s going to happen on Wednesday.”
More encouraging is that Chytil practiced with Alex Wennberg and Kaapo Kakko on the third line earlier today. Will Cuylle skated with Barclay Goodrow and Jimmy Vesey on the fourth line.
Good sign for No. 72. Jones placeholding for Lindgren.
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) May 20, 2024
As Mercogliano noted in his tweet, Zac Jones filled in for Ryan Lindgren on the top pair with Adam Fox. It looks like Laviolette will begin the Eastern Conference Finals with the same defense pairs that concluded the second round.
For the Rangers, getting Chytil back should provide a boost. Despite the third line of Wennberg, Cuylle, and Kakko playing well due to their puck possession style in the first two rounds, they’ve only two goals. Kakko got one on a giveaway against the Capitals. Cuylle converted on a breakaway against the Hurricanes.
Defensively, they’ve been responsible. That line has only allowed one goal against. Perhaps adding the more creative Chytil can help them contribute more offensively. Facing a very tough opponent in the next round, the Blueshirts will need more out of the third line.
If they line up that way on Wednesday, it should provide more depth.
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