Rangers-Panthers preview & live conversation

Every season, NHL teams play gut check games.   Gut check games are a preview of what is needed to succeed in the playoffs.  Gut check games tell us a lot about a team’s ability to step up when needed. The New York Rangers came limping home after an embarrassing 6-0 loss to the Calgary Flames.  The challenge they face is a gut check game with the team with the best record in the NHL, the Florida Panthers.

In playing the Panthers it means the Rangers will have three straight games against three of the top five offensive teams in the NHL.  Considering they gave up 11 goals to the Oilers and Flames, they will have to defend better if they hope to have a chance in this game.

Consistency is the issue that Coach Gerard Gallant harped on after practice. “It’s been inconsistent, the whole group…as a group we have to do better.”  He spoke about the good starts in Edmonton and Calgary as examples of their ability to compete.

Gallant did say that they are looking for the right line combinations. “We’re looking to play better, our game has been good at times, but it’s been inconsistent, we’ve got to play better as a group.  Coaches always look at different line combinations.  You don’t put it on or two guys, it’s the whole group.  You get some different line combinations and you like some stuff and the flow of the game…we have to get to that point.”

He was also quick to point out that the Islanders allowed four third period goals on Sunday as an example that all teams have these issues.

Adam Fox conceded that they need to play a full game and even conceded that they “folded a little bit” in Calgary when they fell behind 3-0. “We’ve been talking about it…trying to put together a full 60…when we do that we had a  few games we’ve had success. If you have long lapses of not playing hard, not doing the right thing,  good teams are going to capitalize.  It’s something we’re still trying to learn…”

So, let’s see if they play a full 60 minutes. It’s not like they don’t know that they have to.

About the Panthers

The Panthers are 10-0-1 with their only defeat a 3-2 shootout loss to the Bruins. That record matches the best start (21 of 22 points) by any team in NHL history.  The last time a team had a point streak this long  at the beginning of a seasonwas in 2012-13 (Chicago Blackhawks).

They are second in the NHL, scoring 4.18 goals per game, but they are not doing it just with offense.  They are allowing just 2.09 goals per game, third best in the NHL. The Rangers have slipped to 2.83 goals per game, 18th overall.  They were just over two goals per games allowed before the last three games.

On Saturday, the Panthers beat the undefeated Hurricanes 5-2 despite missing Aleksander Barkov, Sergei Bobrovsky, Sam Bennett and Joe Thornton with injuries. Former Ranger draft pick Anthony Duclair was the number one star in that game with two goals and they are also getting contributions from rookie Anton Lundell who has three goals and six points in seven games.  Duclair is leading the Panthers with eight goals.

Rookie goalie Spencer Knight has stepped in ably for Bobrovsky with a 4-0 record,  a 2.51 GAA and .918 Sv%.

Special teams have been excellent as well with the seventh best power play (26.3%) and the seventh best penalty kill (86%) in the league.

The Panthers are a team firing on all cyllinders.  They were even able to overcome the resignation of coach Joel Quennville after the Blackhawks sex abuse scandal broke last month. Assistant coach Andrew Brunette has stepping in as interim and has kept the streak going.

On a positive note (for the Rangers),  Florida has played seven of their first 11 at home and have played only four road games with their one shootout loss coming in Boston.  Their goals per game is almost a full goal less on the road.  On the bad side, their road defense (1.75 GPG) has been better than their D at home.

So, despite all of the excellence, an optimistic Ranger fan will say that the Panthers are ripe for a takedown.  Hey, all streaks have to end, right?

Projected lineups

Filip Chytil is listed as day-to-day meaning he will be a game time decision.  It appears that Igor Shesterkin will get the start.

NEW YORK RANGERS

20 Kreider – 93 Zibanejad – 21 Goodrow
10 Panarin – 16 Strome – 24 Kakko
13 Lafrenière– 72 Chytil  – 91 Blais
29 Hunt –  17 Rooney  – 75 Reaves

55 Lindgren – 23 Fox
79 Miller – 8 Trouba
12 Nemeth – 27 Lundkvist

31 Shesterkin
40 Georgiev

FLORIDA PANTHERS

23 Carter Verhaege – 27 Eetu Luostarinen – 91 Anthony Duclair
11 Jonathan Huberdeau – 15 Anton Lundell – 74 Owen Tippett
77 Frank Vitrano – 13 Sam Reinhart – 78 Maxim Mamin
94 Ryan Lomberg – 17 Mason Marchment – 70 Patric Hornqvist

52 MacKenzie Weegar – 5 Aaron Ekblad
42 Gustav Forsling – 7 Radko Gudas
44 Kevin Connauton – 62 Brandon Montour

30 Spencer Knight
31 Chris Gibson

Spencer Knight will definitely get the start with Bobrovsky hurt.   It will the first time he faces the Rangers.  There is a chance that Aleksander Barkov will be in the starting lineup. He has been listed as a game time decision.

When you look at the Panthers lineup you see some veteran names like Ekblad, Gudas, Hornqvist, and Huberdeau, but there are a lot of new faces on the team.  The last time these two teams played was on November 16, 2019. If Barkov cannot play, only three Panthers (Ekblad, Huburdeau and Vetrano) are left from that team.

Both teams are very different from the teams that played to a 4-3 win for the Panthers in Sunrise. The Rangers will have only six players from that game in the lineup tonight, seven if Chytil is able to play.  Incidentally, Dryden Hunt was in that game, playing for Florida.

About the game and the live conversation

Game time is 7pm with the telecast on the MSG+ Network and the radio call will be on WEPN 101.5AM.   The national stream will be on ESPN+.

It’s Military Appreciation Night at Madison Square Garden and there will many salutes throughout the game.

As usual, Blue Line Station will be hosting a live in-game conversation using the comments feature below. The comments have not been refreshing and one workaround is to change how the comments sort from “newest” to “oldest” and back to “newest” again. It’s been sort of working recently so we shall see.

After the road trip there will a lot to talk about.

The live thread is up now and will be up throughout the game.