🥅🏒 2023-24 ECF: Atlantic Champion Florida Panthers at Metro Champion New York Rangers (FLA WINS 4-2)

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

                                                                                 

 

Two East Division Champions meet to see who can earn the right to play for the Stanley Cup.
Tale of the tap so far in these playoffs:

FLORIDA PANTHERS, Atlantic Division Champions.
Post season record: 8-3, scoring 3.55 GF/G while yielding 2.45 GA/G
Special Teams: PP- 22%, PK- 86.1%
Have already beaten the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1 in the opening round and the Boston Bruins 4-2 in the second round

NEW YORK RANGERS, Metro Division Champions.
Post season record: 8-2, scoring 3.50 GF/G while yielding 2.60 GA/G
Special Teams: PP- 31.4%, PK- 89.5%
Have beaten the Washington Capitals 4-0 in the first round and the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 in the second round

Well now...isn't this how it should always be? Division winners meeting for the right to call themselves Conference Champions?
Not to make light of the Rangers' road to the East Finals, but so far, I'd say Florida has had the tougher route and we will soon see if the Panthers have anything left for New York....or if the Rangers maybe had it too "soft" going into the is matchup, and maybe not prepared for speed, scoring, and physicality of Florida.

Not gonna say too much more on this match up right now because no matter what, we have two teams that definitely deserve to be here and there should be no surprise if either goes on through....even though PERSONALLY, NY still has to prove they got the goods for real, as I remain stubborn on them.

Panthers, Rangers... East Conference Championship chatter, right here!

Edited June 2 by TropicalFruitGirl26

[thegx.ca]

As much as I love King Rat and the gang I gotta go with NY in 6 here...

[Tomdog]

I think the deciding factor here will be injury status. 
Zabinijad looked like he was taking a beating against Carolina. Not sure how much of a beating the whole Panthers team took against Boston. 
I have Florida winning this in my bracket, but I think it goes at least 6 games. 

[mojo1917]

Welp, I hate the Rangers with the passion of a 14-year-old Swiftie. 

I don't know if I think the Panthers are better, but I do know I like them better.

My feeling is the Rangers will need a game or at least a couple periods to adjust to the physicality the Panthers play with.

NYR just came off a sweep of a terrible Caps team and a beating of a good but not super physical Carolina side. 

The Panthers have been in slug fests with da Broons and 'Ning, I think they keep swinging and the Rangers take a period or two to figure out they're in a fight.

I think that might be the difference. 

 

 

[RonJeremy]

I want the Rangers to win,  so we get a higher draft position from the Florida pick.

[Brewin Flames]

2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Rangers vs. Panthers Eastern Final preview

Will face off for 1st time in postseason since 1997, compete for chance at NHL championship

ByDan Rosen

@drosennhl NHL.com Senior Writer

12:45 PM

The conference final round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will feature the four teams that advanced out of the second round in two best-of-7 series. Today, NHL.com previews the Eastern Conference Final between the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers.

(1M) New York Rangers vs. (1A) Florida Panthers

Rangers: 55-23-4, 114 points; defeated Washington Capitals 4-0 in first round, Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 in second round

Panthers: 52-24-6, 110 points; defeated Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1 in first round, Boston Bruins 4-2 in second round

Season series: NYR 1-2-0, FLA 2-0-1

 

Game 1: Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+, ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC)

Matthew Tkachuk might as well have been speaking for fans of the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers when he was asked about the opportunity to play in the Eastern Conference Final again.

 

"It's playoff hockey in New York. It's a dream," said Tkachuk, the Panthers forward. "MSG on the road is my favorite rink to play in just because of the history and everything that has to do with the city of New York. It's a great city. They love their sports. It's going to be such a great atmosphere. I mean, conference finals at MSG, that's just so cool. We're excited to start that on Wednesday. Just, hopefully, the hotel doesn't pull the fire alarm on us."

 

The last part of Tkachuk's quote is referencing what the Panthers dealt with hours before Game 6 against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Friday. 

 

No one knows what will happen in New York, but he's certainly right about everything he said about the conference final and the opportunity in front of the Panthers and Rangers, who play Game 1 at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.

 

This is the second time the Rangers and Panthers are meeting in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The first time happened 27 years ago, when New York won the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals in five games.

 

"They've got a very good team," Rangers forward Chris Kreider said. "A lot of strengths. Great offense, great defense, great goaltending, so it's going to be a great challenge for us."

New York is in the conference final for the second time in three seasons and fifth since 2012. It last reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2014.

 

The Rangers, who won the Presidents' Trophy in the regular season with a team record 114 points, needed 10 games to get here. They swept the Washington Capitals in the first round and won in six against the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round, rallying from down 3-1 in the third period of Game 6 to win 5-3 thanks to Kreider's natural hat trick in a span of 8:58.

Mika Zibanejad (three goals, 11 assists) and Vincent Trocheck (six goals, eight assists) each lead the Rangers with 14 points. Kreider's seven goals are first. Artemi Panarin has 11 points (four goals, seven assists), and Alexis Lafrenière (four goals, six assists) and Kreider (three assists) each have 10.

 

Igor Shesterkin has been arguably the best goalie in the playoffs, going 8-2 with a 2.40 goals-against average and .923 save percentage.

 

The Rangers are 31.4 percent on the power play and 89.5 percent on the penalty kill with four short-handed goals.

 

"Just very, very fast, very talented team, dynamic off the rush," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said of the Rangers. "They've got all the spots. They're the best team in the League. They've got the goaltending, forwards and back end are big and strong and the forwards are very skilled."

 

Florida is in the conference final for the second straight season. It needed 11 games to get here, defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in five and the Bruins in six.

 

Tkachuk leads the Panthers with 14 points (four goals, 10 assists). Aleksander Barkov has 13 (five goals, eight assists), Carter Verhaeghe has 11 (six goals, five assists) and Sam Reinhart has nine (five goals, four assists). Reinhart scored 57 goals in the regular season.

Sergei Bobrovsky is 8-3 with a 2.37 GAA and .902 save percentage.

The Panthers swept the Hurricanes in the conference final last season before a five-game loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final.

 

"I think they've picked up some good confidence and experience in the last year and a half between making that run in the playoffs, getting in the playoffs, making that run to the Final," Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said.

 

"Certainly, the year that they have winning their division, a tough division, there's lots of things that they do well. They've got a group that's been around and been there done and I think confidence goes with that too. They're big, they're strong, they're physical. 

 

"But I mean, Carolina was a lot like that as well. They play a fast physical, aggressive game. They're a little bit different in the way that they both play the game, but there are some similarities."

Game breakers

Rangers: Kreider put the Rangers into the conference final with his natural hat trick in Game 6 against the Hurricanes. He has seven goals in the playoffs after scoring 39 in the regular season. Kreider is fast with a powerful first two strides to get him going, but his ability to get his stick on pucks in front of the net is the thing he does better than arguably everybody else in the NHL.

 

Those three goals in Game 6 in Carolina came from a combined 18 feet away from the net. That is what makes him so dangerous and the player who can turn a game in the Rangers' favor. So too is his ability to get free for short-handed 2-on-1 opportunities with Zibanejad. He already has two short-handed points in the playoffs, a game-tying goal in Game 3 against the Hurricanes and an assist on defenseman K'Andre Miller's game-winning goal in Game 2 against the Capitals. 

 

Panthers: Reinhart is similar to Kreider in that he scores a lot of his goals from in front of the net. Three of his five playoff goals have come from 13 feet and in from the net. Reinhart also has been relatively quiet through two rounds considering the standard he set for himself in the regular season with his 57 goals. He could be due for a breakout, which would be huge for the Panthers, especially if it comes on the power play.

 

He led the NHL with 27 goals on the man-advantage in the regular season but has just one in 11 playoff games. He is shooting 10.4 percent in the playoffs after shooting 24.5 percent in the regular season. That's another sign that a breakout could be coming for him against the Rangers.

Goaltending

Rangers: Shesterkin faced a barrage of shots in six games against the Hurricanes, an average of 37.2 per game, and still had a 2.80 GAA and .919 save percentage, allowing 18 goals on 223 shots. He made timely saves on point-blank opportunities in the third period of Game 6 to allow the Rangers to rally. Shesterkin allowed seven goals on 101 shots in the four games against Washington for a 1.75 GAA and .931 save percentage.

 

He's been excellent on the penalty kill, allowing only four goals on 41 shots (.902 save percentage). His play in the postseason is a continuation of his strong second half of the regular season. Shesterkin went 17-5-1 with a 2.20 GAA, .930 save percentage and four shutouts in 23 games from Feb. 9 through the end of the season. In 38 NHL playoff games, all starts, Shesterkin has 21 wins with a 2.43 GAA and .927 save percentage. 

 

Panthers: Bobrovsky has allowed two goals or fewer in eight of 11 playoff games, including five in a row and six of the past seven. His one blip in the past seven games was Game 1 against the Bruins, when he allowed four goals on 28 shots in a 5-1 loss.

 

He had a 2.03 GAA and .907 save percentage against the Bruins with 12 goals against and made 22 saves in a 2-1 series-clinching win in Game 6 on Friday. He was 36-17-4 with a 2.37 GAA, .915 save percentage and six shutouts in the regular season.

 

Against the Rangers, Bobrovsky was 2-0-1 with a 2.59 GAA and .919 save percentage. He leads the NHL with 24 playoff wins since 2022, three more than Shesterkin, going 24-15 with a 2.65 GAA, .911 save percentage and one shutout in 40 games (39 starts).

Numbers to know

Rangers: The Rangers have a plus-9 goal differential (35-26) in the playoffs despite a minus-6.4 shot differential. They're allowing 32.5 shots on goal per game and getting 26.1. They're even in goal differential on the penalty kill with four short-handed goals and four power-play goals against.

 

Their goal distribution per period is even with 11 in each and two in overtime. They are 2-0 in overtime games. Their plus-9 goal differential has all come after the first period (24-15). The Rangers have five comeback wins in the playoffs after leading the NHL with 28 in the regular season. They're 3-1 when trailing after the first and 2-1 when trailing after the second.

 

Panthers: Florida has a plus-8.9 differential in shots on goal (33.0-24.1) in the playoffs. Only the Hurricanes were better through two rounds (plus-9.1, 35.7-26.6). The Panthers are 7-0 when leading or tied after the second period.

 

They have gotten 25 points (seven goals, 18 assists) in 11 games from defensemen, nine more than the Rangers have at the position (two goals, 14 assists) in 10 games. Brandon Montour is first with eight points (three goals, five assists), followed by Gustav Forsling's seven (two goals, five assists). Florida has used the same six defensemen in all 11 playoff games: Montour, Forsling, Aaron Ekblad, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Dmitry Kulikov and Niko Mikkola). Florida was 15-for-16 with a short-handed goal on the penalty kill against the Bruins.

 

X-factors

Rangers: Defenseman Jacob Trouba could play a pivotal role against Florida. The Rangers captain's physicality, if disciplined, can help them contain Panthers forwards like Tkachuk and Sam Bennett , and any offense he chips in (four points in 10 playoff games) would go a long way in helping to match Florida's superior scoring defense.

 

Trouba has sneaky offensive upside considering he's had two seasons of double-digit goals in past regular seasons (11 in 2021-22, 10 in 2013-14) and an NHL career-high 50 points with the Winnipeg Jets in 2018-19. Trouba had one power-play assist, six hits and nine blocked shots in two regular-season games against the Panthers. -- Pete Jensen

 

Panthers: Forward Vladimir Tarasenko, acquired by the Panthers from the Ottawa Senators before the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline, played for the Rangers last season and had 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) in the regular season and playoffs combined (38 games). The Rangers did not re-sign Tarasenko last offseason, so he could have extra motivation against his former team. Tarasensko had his eighth 20-goal season (23) and eighth 50-point season (55) in the NHL.

 

He has been quiet in the postseason (two goals, five points in 11 games) but could give the Panthers a huge boost if his goal scoring ignites in this series. He had three points (two goals, one assist) and eight shots on goal in three games against the Rangers this season. -- Pete Jensen

They said it

"They've been a top team in the League and played for the Cup last year and finished first in their division. They bring speed, size, skill, physicality. There's some similarities to Carolina and the way that they play, an aggressive mindset, so some of that will be similar, I think in preparation, but they're also a little bit different so we're just getting into it now and just starting to get it to the guys and prepare them." -- Rangers coach Peter Laviolette

 

"They're the best team in the regular season. They have a lot of good offensive players and they have a deep lineup, so it's going to be a big challenge for us, but I think we're ready for that. We just need to concentrate on ourselves and play our game as good as possible." -- Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov

Will win if ...

Rangers: Once again, the Rangers need their special teams to be dominant and Shesterkin to be the better goalie in the series. That they were able to dominate the Hurricanes on special teams should give them confidence to do the same against the Panthers. Carolina had the top-ranked penalty kill (86.4 percent) and second-ranked power play (26.9 percent) in the regular season.

 

New York still outscored it 7-2 on special teams, with five power-play goals and two short-handed. The Rangers were minus-1 at 5-on-5, getting outscored 13-12. That's not an issue if they can win the special teams game.

 

They can't expect to generate a lot of shot volume against the Panthers, who are allowing 24.1 shots on goal per game in the playoffs, but they didn't generate a lot of shot volume against the Hurricanes either (26.2 per game). They'll need to make the most of their chances, which they have done during the postseason.

 

 

Panthers: It goes without saying that Bobrovsky must be good for the Panthers to win the series, but can he be better than Shesterkin? That's the question. And that's the challenge. The Panthers need Bobrovsky to be better to win the series. Good might not be good enough.

 

Florida will need to both control the 5-on-5 play and keep New York's power play in check. The Rangers won the series against the Hurricanes with their special teams. The Panthers have to do their best to be even in that department. A breakout for Reinhart will also go a long way too.

How they look

Rangers projected lineup

Chris Kreider -- Mika Zibanejad -- Jack Roslovic

Artemi Panarin -- Vincent Trocheck -- Alexis Lafreniere

Filip Chytil -- Alex Wennberg -- Kaapo Kakko

Will Cuylle -- Barclay Goodrow -- Jimmy Vesey

Ryan Lindgren -- Adam Fox

K'Andre Miller -- Jacob Trouba

Erik Gustafsson -- Braden Schneider

Igor Shesterkin

Jonathan Quick

Scratched: Zac Jones, Chad Ruhwedel, Jonny Brodzinski, Adam Edstrom, Matt Rempe

Injured: Blake Wheeler (lower body)

Panthers projected lineup

Vladimir Tarasenko -- Aleksander Barkov -- Sam Reinhart

Carter Verhaeghe -- Anton Lundell -- Matthew Tkachuk

Eetu Luostarinen -- Sam Bennett -- Evan Rodrigues

Ryan Lomberg -- Kevin Stenlund -- Nick Cousins

Gustav Forsling -- Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola -- Brandon Montour

Oliver Ekman-Larsson -- Dmitry Kulikov

Sergei Bobrovsky

Anthony Stolarz

Scratched: Steven Lorentz, Kyle Okposo, Tobias Bjornfot, Uvis Balinskis, Josh Mahura, Jonah Gadjovich, Spencer Knight, Rasmus Asplund, Mike Benning, Magnus Hellberg, Matt Kiersted, William Lockwood, Mackie Samoskevich, Justin Sourdif

Injured: None

[Brewin Flames]

I'll say Rangers in six...

 

Igor outplays Bob

 

 

[thegx.ca]

19 hours ago, mojo1917 said:

Welp, I hate the Rangers with the passion of a 14-year-old Swiftie. 

I don't know if I think the Panthers are better, but I do know I like them better.

My feeling is the Rangers will need a game or at least a couple periods to adjust to the physicality the Panthers play with.

NYR just came off a sweep of a terrible Caps team and a beating of a good but not super physical Carolina side. 

The Panthers have been in slug fests with da Broons and 'Ning, I think they keep swinging and the Rangers take a period or two to figure out they're in a fight.

I think that might be the difference. 

 

 

Rangers aren't that soft they got Trouba who can beat anyone on Florida easily except Gadjovich but he's starve scratched anyways...

[mojo1917]

28 minutes ago, thegx.ca said:

Rangers aren't that soft they got Trouba who can beat anyone on Florida easily except Gadjovich but he's starve scratched anyways...

We joke that Touba's "C" patch should be on his elbow so people can see it.

I don't think the Rangers are soft. Trocheck, Goodrow, even Lefreniere have some bite.

What I think is-they haven't had to play a physical style game since the playoffs began and Florida starts rock fights from the drop of the puck. 

I think the Rangers have to get ready, then they're fine. But the Panthers walk around ready and that may be an edge for them.

 

[yave1964]

Panthers and Stars look like the deepest teams this postseason. I am taking Florida, the Rangers had hot periods and puck luck against the Canes but were overall the inferior team in every single game. Florida in six 

[Brewin Flames]

I don't know.....

 

If it's a heavy hotting series, the rangers can match the cats, and go toe/toe.....

 

Trouba will plant K.T at sone point.

[OccamsRazor]

On 5/20/2024 at 12:11 PM, RonJeremy said:

I want the Rangers to win,  so we get a higher draft position from the Florida pick.

 

I totally get what you're saying but can't bring myself to say or think it so i have Panthers in 7.

 

Panthers vs Stars in the Stanley Cup finals is what felt before the playoffs...

[Buffalo Rick]

I had Florida  vs Vancouver months ago.  The Canucks just missed.  So I guess I must pick Florida, but they must win in front of a hostile crown in game one or two.  Madison Square Garden will be the most hostile environment in either series. Big time.  Remember 1994?  These Rangers are not as good as those of course.  Bure and the Canucks gave them a scare.  This Florida team got to the finals last year and shocked everyone.  They wont shock anyone know but they are more of a battle tested team.  I will cheer for the East winner this year no matter who wins.  But I really do not care much.  Hey, TFG, if you see this, are you hoping the T Wolves win in NBA?  I am.  

[NHL HHOF]

 

[Jimtown guy]

This should be a slobber knocker. Rangers in 7

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Panthers take a late 1st 1-0...and ya gotta love the completely useless stat Ray Ferraro through out there:

"Rangers have given up the first goal 4 times out of their 8 wins"

So, what you are saying, Ray...is the Rangers have a 50-50 shot to still win this, eh?
Thank you.
Don't know what I would have done without that deep cut...  

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

What kind of sadist is Emily Kaplan anyways?

She asked Matt Tkachuk what it was like hitting Vincent Trocheck on two big hits in that first.
Tkachuk actually gave a measured, diplomatic answer....Emily, sitting there with a big smile like a kid waiting for ice cream, asked again:
"Sooo, what did that feel like, those big hits?"

Leave it alone Emily...daaaaaamn.  

Oh...and Tkachuk's answer as he quickly made his way back into the locker room: "It felt like the playoffs"
Atta boy, Matt....don't feed the trolls... lol

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Florida doing a good job of constantly being in the Rangers' collective faces.
They are forcing NY to look and play sloppy out there.
Granted, that aggressive style has led to two very good scoring chances the other way for NY, but thus far, either the post or Bobrovsky himself has seen to it the Rangers got nothing.

If the Panthers are to win this, this is exactly how they must play....aggressive, physical, and keeping the NY players mostly in their own end.

That style is what the Panthers employed against the Lightning, what they did to the Bruins, what they look to do here.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Rangers with some good work hemming the Panthers in...then Roslovic goes and takes a stupid high sticking penalty by hitting Ekman-Larssen in the side of the helmet.
Really Roslovic? A penalty? Now? And against OEL??
If yer gonna get dinged for dinging someone in the ding dome, make it someone like Trouba....not Larssen. OEL is happy to sleepwalk through most games.....

Ya...you deserve to sit.....dingaling..

Panthers to the PP and will now look to extend their 1-0 lead.

[JR Ewing]

If you look up the term "low event hockey" there will be a replay of this game.

 

[Jimtown guy]

If the Rangers can score it will be huge for their confidence considering how this game has gone so far. If the Panthers score again I don't see the Bon giving up 2 with the way his defense is currently playing.

Edited May 23 by Jimtown guy

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

And with that EN goal by none other than Sam Bennett, it sends hoards of NY Ranger fans to the exits!

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Panthers take Game 1.
They completely sucked the life out of Madison Square Garden, then checked the life out of the NY Rangers on the ice.

And it seems, much to the chagrin, of the ESPN network announcers....sheesh....

Better team took Game 1. Bottom line.

[SaucyJack]

Home teams from here on, means Florida-in-Six is a winner.

[Jimtown guy]

So much for home ice