Eastern Conference Final Preview: The Rundown

The Eastern Conference Final is set with the New York Rangers facing the Florida Panthers. The series begins on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden and this matchup will determine who plays in the Stanley Cup Final. 

What You Need to Know

●      The Rangers won the Presidents’ Trophy with the league’s best record (55-23-4) indicating that it’s their series to lose. It is but it’s been a chalk bracket regardless. The Panthers (52-24-6) were the top seed in the Atlantic Division and reached the Stanley Cup Final last season. So, while the Rangers are favored, this series could go either way.

●      The Panthers got here with their defense. They allowed only 2.41 goals per game this season and in the Second Round against the Boston Bruins, they only allowed 2.16 goals per game. When they win, they do so in low-scoring games.

●      The Rangers are led by their big three on offense with Vincent Trocheck, Artemi Panarin, and Mika Zibanejad scoring 13 goals and 26 assists in the playoffs while goaltender Igor Shesterkin has been one of the best in the playoffs. He has a .923 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.40 goals-against average (GAA) on 324 shots with 6.4 goals saved above average (GSAA).

●      The Panthers have gotten a boost from the point in the playoffs with defensemen Brandon Montour and Gustav Forsling adding five goals and 10 assists to the offense.  

Key Matchups

The Rangers penalty kill stepped up against the Carolina Hurricanes in the Second Round allowing only two goals in 21 opportunities. They’ll have their hands full with the Panthers power play which has scored nine of their 39 goals with the extra skater on the ice. 

The Rangers win with speed and gash opponents when they have space to operate while the Panthers love to slow the game down and play a more physical game. The pace of the games will say a lot about which team has momentum and control of the series. 

Aleksander Barkov won the Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward in the NHL. Paired with Matthew Tkachuk, the Panthers have a forward unit that thrives both offensively and defensively. They’ll have to stop a potent Rangers offense and more importantly, limit them from moving the puck up the ice. Whether it’s Adam Fox sending the puck up the ice with a stretch pass or Panarin skating from end to end, Barkov and Tkachuk must impact the game with their forechecking presence. 

The Panthers will generate offense from the point but a lot of their goals will come from their forwards establishing a net-front presence. Barkov, Sam Reinhart, and Carter Verhaeghe have scored 16 goals in the playoffs with most of them coming near the goal and in the crease. They’ll have to win in the dirty areas against a defense that doesn’t surrender it with Fox, K’Andre Miller, and Jacob Trouba anchoring the Rangers at the blue line.

Prediction

This series will go the distance and will feature plenty of back-and-forth, one-score games. The Panthers have all the pieces in place to win this series, especially if they slow things down but the Rangers have the edge in two facets. They can win in multiple ways and make this series a fast-paced one plus they have the better goaltender with Shesterkin holding down the fort.

With this in mind, expect the Rangers to control this series from Game 1 and ultimately come out on top in six or seven games. 

Prediction: Rangers in 7