New York Rangers Season Comes to an End as the Florida Panthers Win Game Six

The New York Rangers' season ends after a 2-1 defeat in game six in Sunrise, Florida. This means that the Rangers lose the Eastern Conference Finals four games to two, ending a sensational season with a bitter defeat, a taste that no organization wants. New York has to go back to the drawing board this summer to address the roster issues and try to find a way to improve on a historic season.

Game four wasn't without its controversy. The game was broken open by a nasty shot from Sam Bennett that hit every piece of metal behind Igor Shesterkin before bouncing on the ice behind the line to trigger the goal horn and give the Panthers an early lead. Still, there was a question of offside on the entry. New York decided not to challenge, but there was a missed high stick in the buildup, which should have created a stoppage. Everyone missed it, and the Rangers fell into a hole.

Florida would put the dagger into the Rangers in the third period when the young Finnish centerman Anton Lundell fired the puck into the middle of the ice for former New York Ranger Vladimir Tarasenko. Tarasenko would score to double the lead of the Panthers, and the Rangers were now up against it. There was a struggle to generate anything all night long, and now, I need multiple goals; it was a bridge too far.

Artemi Panarin would score with less than two minutes to go, but it was too little too late. Florida shut it down for the remainder of the game, and the Panthers moved on to play for the Stanley Cup, leaving the Rangers to rue their missed opportunities in this series. They will have to watch the Panthers play for the cup from their couch, where they will have to decide the next course of action for the organization.