New York Rangers Look to Continue Hot Start in Conference Final Rematch vs Panthers
That 7-2 demolition of the Montreal Canadiens has shown the Rangers other gear. Scoring quickly in that first period to put the game out of reach, the Blueshirts enjoyed a simple game on the day of the NHL's Frozen Frenzy. In a rematch of the 2023-24 Eastern Conference Finals, New York is back in action tonight as the Blueshirts face the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers. A difficult opponent, the Rangers will seek revenge for their postseason elimination.
New York's great talents have been dominating the league recently, but one of the underrated aspects of the Blueshirts season has been that third line. They remain one of two lines in the NHL to have not yielded a 5-on-5 goal this season, accompanying Carolina's third line. If they can continue to have success, the Rangers can enjoy victories. That third line is vital for the Blueshirts.
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Alexis Lafreniere has been one of the Rangers' best players this year. Rumors of an extension have been circulating, but with no pen to paper yet, the Quebecois winger needs to keep his head clear and focused on scoring. Last season's breakout was for Lafreniere, with the faithful wanting more from him. Can he break the point-per-game mark and show that the organization's future is in good hands? A good way to prove he's worth the gamble for the future.
Projected Lineups
Florida Panthers
Eetu Loustarinen - Anton Lundell - Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe - Sam Bennett - Matthew Tkachuk
Evan Rodrigues - Jesper Boqvist - Mackie Samoskevich
A.J. Greet - Patrick Giles - Ulvis Balinskis
Gustav Forsling - Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola - Dmitry Kulikov
Nate Schmidt - Adam Boqvist
Sergei Bobrovsky
Spencer Knight
New York Rangers
Artemi Panarin - Vincent Trocheck - Alexis Lafreniere
Chris Kreider - Mika Zibanejad - Reilly Smith
Will Cuylle - Filip Chytil - Kaapo Kakko
Adam Edstrom - Sam Carrick - Jonny Brodzinski
K'Andre Miller - Adam Fox
Ryan Lindgren - Victor Mancini
Igor Shesterkin
Jonathan Quick
Puck Drop
A 7 p.m. start from Madison Square Garden sees the two teams go toe-to-toe. New York will look for retribution for their postseason elimination. Florida will be looking to continue to assert dominance. Two titans of the hockey world clash under the bright Broadway lights, and Madison Square Garden will host this monstrous clash. Can New York continue it's hot start?