The New York Rangers will take to the ice tonight at 7:00 PM to battle the Florida Panthers at The BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida.
The Rangers enter this contest atop the Metropolitan Division with a 14-3-2 record, having dropped only one game in their last 10. This also has earned the Blueshirts third place in the league, with games in hand on the first place Dallas Stars and second place Montreal Canadiens.
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The Florida Panthers are currently in sixth place in the Atlantic Division with a 8-8-3 record, but have won three of their last five games. Two of these wins have been against the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have proved to be the Rangers’ kyrptonite as of late.
Jaromir Jagr continues to turn back the clock at the age of 43, leading the team with 15 points.
He is currently tied for the lead in goals (7) with Vincent Trocheck, both of which the Rangers will need to contain if they want to come away with a win.
Roberto Luongo has also been solid for the Panthers, earning a .928 save percentage and a goals against average of 2.33.
Alain Vigneault said on Friday that he doesn’t expect to make any changes to the lineup againt Florida.
This is a good move, as the Rangers haven’t been playing poorly. The Rangers showed a very high battle level against Tampa Bay, and if not for a late mistake by Derek Stepan, they just may have won the game.
Keys For Victory
Get Quality Shots to The Net
On Thursday, the Rangers tallied only 21 shots against Tampa Bay. However, 16 of these shots were blocked.
The Rangers will need to execute on strong positioning and quick puck movement in the offensive zone. This will give the Panthers little time to set up and block the shooting lanes. This can also be remedied by not looking for the perfect pass or shot.
There is a fine line between looking for a quality chance, and just getting the puck on net.
Third Line Needs To Produce
Chris Kreider has 3 points in his last 5 games. By comparison, the entire third line (Oscar Lindberg/Kevin Hayes/Viktor Stalberg) has just 4.
Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports
The Rangers can’t rely on players like Mats Zuccarello, Derick Brassard, and even Henrik Lundqvist to carry the team every game. Contribution from all 4 lines is critical for the Rangers to have continued success.
Fans should look for Hayes to get going, as his battle level just hasn’t been what we’ve come to expect. He hasn’t taken advantage of his size by getting to the dirty areas and muscling his way to the puck. Look for Hayes to show some improvement and make a difference tonight.
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Stay Out Of The Penalty Box
The Rangers can’t let Florida’s .500 record deceive them, as the Panthers have quietly put together a solid power play.
Florida currently holds the 8th best power play percentage at 21.2%, and are ranked 6th in power play goals at 14. The Blueshirts will want to keep their legs moving to avoid any unnecessary, lazy penalties in this game.
The good news is that the Rangers penalty kill ranks 2nd in the league at 86.9%, however the Rangers will still want to avoid putting Jagr on the advantage.
Next: New York Rangers: At The Quarter Mark
Enjoy the game everyone, and as always, Let’s Go Rangers!