We are a few days away from a clash between two juggernauts with the Eastern Conference title on the line. The New York Rangers and Florida Panthers square off with the chance at the Stanley Cup looming.
The Rangers began the playoffs as the league's hottest team starting 7-0. They stumbled in back-to-back games against Carolina but were able to close out the series in six games.
The Panthers have had a similar start to their postseason. They cruised past the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games and took care of business in six games against the Boston Bruins after dropping Game 1 by a score of 5-1.
Both of these squads have elite talent on all ends of the ice. Below is my ranking of the top 15 players in this star-studded series.
SV%= Save Percentage, GAA= Goals Against Average, PPG=Power Play Goals, FO%= Faceoff Percentage, GWG= Game Winning Goals, SOG= Shots on Goal.
15. Brandon Montour
Regular Season: 33 Points (8G 25A) 168 SOG +1 Rating
Playoffs: 8 Points (3G 5A) 28 SOG +4 Rating
14. Alexis Lafrenière
Regular Season: 57 Points (28G 29A) 217 SOG 5 GWG
Playoffs: 10 Points (4G 6A) 26 SOG +1 Rating
13. Gustav Forsling
Regular Season: 39 Points (10G 29A) 160 SOG +56 Rating
Playoffs: 7 Points (2G 5A) 25 SOG +8 Rating
*First in the league in Plus-Minus*
12. Carter Verhaeghe
Regular Season: 72 Points (34G 38A) 246 SOG +17 Rating
Playoffs: 11 Points (6G 5A) 41 SOG +2 Rating
11. Aaron Ekblad
Regular Season: 18 Points (4G 14A) 98 SOG +27 Rating
Playoffs: 4 Points (4A) 18 SOG +6 Rating
10. Mika Zibanejad
Regular Season: 72 Points (26G 46A) 12 PPG +15 Rating
Playoffs: 14 Points (3G 11A) 2 PPG +2 Rating
9. Chris Kreider
Regular Season: 75 Points (39G 52A) 18 PPG 246 SOG
Playoffs: 10 Points (7G 3A) 2 PPG 29 SOG
8. Vincent Trocheck
Regular Season: 77 Points (25G 52A) 11 PPG 58.7 FO%
Playoffs: 14 Points (6G 8A) 4 PPG 58.3 FO%
7. Matthew Tkachuk
Regular Season: 88 Points (26G 62A) 280 SOG +19 Rating
Playoffs: 14 Points (4G 10A) 44 SOG +2 Rating
6. Adam Fox
Regular Season: 73 Points (17G 56A) 6 PPG +21 Rating
Playoffs: 4 Points (4A) 14 SOG +1 Rating
5. Sam Reinhart
Regular Season: 94 Points (57G 37A) 27 PPG +29 Rating
Playoffs: 9 Points (5G 4A) 48 SOG +3 Rating
*First in Power Play Goals and second in goals scored this season*
4. Aleksander Barkov
Regular Season: 80 Points (23G 57A) 57.3 FO% +33 Rating
Playoffs: 13 Points (5G 8A) 56.3 FO% 3 GWG
*2024 Selke Trophy winner (best defensive forward)*
3. Sergei Bobrovsky
Regular Season: 36-17-4 Record 2.37 GAA .915 SV%
Playoffs: 8-3 Record 2.37 GAA .902 SV%
2. Artemi Panarin
Regular Season: 120 Points (49G 71A) 11 PPG +18 Rating
Playoffs: 11 Points (4G 7A) 4 GWG 28 SOG
*Fourth in the league in points this season*
1. Igor Shesterkin
Regular Season: 36-17-2 Record 2.58 GAA .913 SV%
Playoffs: 8-2 Record 2.40 GAA .923 SV%
The series kickstarts on Wednesday, May 22 at Madison Square Garden, puck drop at 8:00 p.m. EST.