The Rangers lost 3-0 to the Panthers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday. Florida clamped down defensively on New York while playing their usual aggressive forechecking and physical style that restricted the Blueshirts’ time and space. Sergei Bobrovsky outplayed Igor Shesterkin and the Rangers head to Game 2 on Friday looking to even up the series.
Scratches: Wheeler, Rempe, Brodzinski, Jones, Ruhwedel, Edstrom and Domingue
A few thoughts:
1) Deep breath: first of all let me say, don’t panic. We knew what Florida was like and their play yesterday was exactly what we expected. They are fearless on the forecheck with a bit of nastiness and edge, limiting time and space. The Panthers played that style to a tee yesterday. On the flip side, even with Florida’s style being a nightmare to get past, I thought New York and the crowd lack a little jump. Part of that is certainly due to who they faced, but part of it was also the layoff.
Here is the good news. First, they didn’t give up a ton of high danger chances. The first goal really wasn’t one. Igor made a glove save on Aleksander Barkov down low and there were a handful of other chances but it’s not as if the Panthers peppered the Rangers despite carrying play. View that as a good thing or portend for future danger but I think it’s a positive. In addition, Braden Schneider hit the post on a breakaway in the first. Alexis Lafreniere the same with half a net to shoot at in the third as the Rangers looked to rally. Plus Bob made several excellent saves.
I don’t have my head in the sand and know the Rangers have a lot of work to do to counter what the Panthers do. My point is not all is doom and gloom despite losing Game 1. The argument already is bench Alex Wennberg, Kaapo Kakko etc. and play Matt Rempe. Doing the latter will give them some energy and it’s possible coach Peter Laviolette does so. But we all know what the downside is and can we just chill a little on the roster changes already. I would not be shocked if a swap occurs but cognizant of the impact of such a move.
2) Game play: Florida limited New York to 23 shots while shutting New York out for the first time since Dec. 9 against Washington. The Rangers got off to a solid start and had solid stretches early and late in the third. Beyond that though, not much, included within was a stretch of 14:23 in the second without a shot on goal. I credit the Panthers’ swarming forecheck that constricted the Rangers but players have to fight through it and know when to limit the east-west passes we saw too often yesterday.
When New York did breakthrough, Bobrovsky was up to the task. He stopped Will Cuylle down low early in the second and blocked a Vincent Trocheck tip in front following a cycle play. As seen yesterday, opportunities will come sporadically, when they do, the Rangers must take advantage of them. Florida tied for fewest goals allowed during the season for a reason and we saw that yesterday.
3) Shesterkin was good not great as Bobrovsky outplayed him. Matthew Tkachuk struck for the first goal of the series with 3:34 to play in the first period on a shot Igor would like back. He was partially screened by Adam Fox, who still looks compromised and a step slow, but the wrist shot likely should have been stopped.
After benefitting from the correct call on goaltender interference by Ryan Lomberg, who ran around after the game was decided and dished a few late hits, New York was unable to tie the game. The killer goal occurred shortly after Laf hit the post and New York couldn’t breakthrough on the power play late in the third.
Jack Roslovic’s weak play along the board on the offensive zone allowed the Rangers to come out of the defensive zone. On the dump in, Shesterkin came out to play the puck and kind of got caught in indecision land. He didn’t clear it hard enough, turning the puck over. Igor should have allowed Erik Gustafsson to handle the puck. The end result of the sequence was an attempted pass from Carter Verhaeghe inadvertently deflected in off a back checking Lafrenière's stick, with the own goal giving the Panthers a 2-0 lead with 3:48 to play. That was all she wrote.
4) Lines: as Vince Mercogliano noted, the only unit that was able to get much going for the Blueshirts was the same line they relied on all season. They outshot the Panthers, 8-4, while Artemi Panarin, Trocheck and Lafrenière were on the ice together, according to Natural Stat Trick, even though Panarin and Lafrenière finished with negative-three ratings while Trocheck was minus-two.
Beyond that line, most of the rest of the offense was invisible. Filip Chytil, back in the lineup for the first time since Game 3 against Carolina, was mostly invisible. One item to keep an eye on is that he took a big, somewhat unnecessary hit for Niko Mikkola along the boards just before the final buzzer. As noted above, Wennberg and Kakko didn’t show much. Mika Zibanejad had his hands full with Barkov while Chris Kreider was not very apparent in the loss.
Cuylle, even though he was unable to knock Gustav Forsling down on a check behind the net, was physical throughout and didn’t look awed in the moment. I could see Laviolette moving Cuylle back up to the third line, sliding Chytil from wing to center and using Wennberg on the fourth line to generate offense.
Defensively, very concerned about Fox as the Panthers plan is to dump it in his corner and make him turn and skate, which he struggled with yesterday. That adds to the responsibility for Ryan Lindgren. K’Andre Miller might have been the best d man yesterday while Jacob Trouba was okay not great. Schneider had his skating legs while Gustafsson was fine not great.
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