The Rangers and Panthers are set to face off on Saturday night at The Garden. It is a highly anticipated battle between two of the leagues best teams. In a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview, the teams are separated by just two points. But how do the two teams compare to one another? Lets dive in…
The Blueshirts and Panthers have been compared to each other all season, and rightfully so. Their records are almost identical, as the only difference being the Rangers having one more win. Both teams also have 20 regulation and 4 overtime losses each. The Rangers have scored 3.36 goals per game, with the Cats being not too far behind at 3.22. However, their defense is the second best in the league, only allowing 2.42 goals per game, and New York is 7th at 2.69 goals against per game. They both have outstanding special teams. Their power plays and penalty kills each rank near the top of the league. Should the game be tightly played, special teams would more than likely play a big part of that.
Forwards:
Both teams have stars all around on offense. From Artemi Panarin, Matthew Tkachuk, Vincent Trocheck, Sam Reinhart, that is just a small portion of the scoring ability that both of these teams possess. But for Florida in particular, they have a more balanced lineup and get a little more scoring from their bottom six guys. But that is not to discredit the Rangers, as they have been getting significantly more scoring from their bottom six since the trade deadline, with the addition of former Kraken two-way center Alex Wennberg.
Panthers:
The Panthers added former Ranger Vladimir Tarasenko before the deadline. He has played mainly in their top six. Sam Reinhart has been outstanding this season for the Cats. He leads the team in goals with 48, and points with 79. He has four goals combined in the two meetings with the Blueshirts. Matthew Tkachuk has rebounded greatly after a slow start. He is up to 76 points on the year and is just on pace for his third consecutive 90 point campaign. And although Aleksander Barkov has been injured for the last few games, he still has 66 points this season and is one of the best two way forwards in the game. Can’t forget about elite sniper Carter Verhaeghe, who has 30 goals this season. His line with Barkov and Reinhart rank as one of the best in the entire NHL. All season they have been very consistent at putting the puck in the back of the net and they are lethal on the power play. Florida’s bottom six is nothing to sneeze at either, as they have some decent players like Evan Rodrigues, Nick Cousins and Eetu Luostarinen. The Cats offense is very scary, and if they go on a deep playoff run, the forwards will be a big part of it.
Rangers:
The Rangers offense, led by Artemi Panarin has been mostly good, but there have been some moments where depth scoring has lacked. Anyhow, they seem to be clicking at the right time. Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider look more comfortable on the first line with newly-acquired Jack Roslovic from Columbus. Zibanejad only has 23 goals this season. That is a good amount, but it is low for his standards. He is still very good defensively and on the penalty kill. Kreider has 33 goals this season, and he is already up to 32 assists, shattering his previous career high. But the story for the Rangers has been about how good their second line has been. Panarin is up to 41 goals and 56 assists for 97 points. Vincent Trocheck continues to be amazing. He has 24 goals and 42 assists for 66 points. Like Zibanejad, he is very good defensively and is near the top of the league in faceoff percentage. But most importantly for that line, has been the resurgence of Alexis Lafreniere this season. He has 20 goals and 45 assists, each being new career highs. The Blueshirts third and fourth lines don’t offer much on the offensive end, but for the most part they are defensively responsible. Kaapo Kakko chipping in points will be crucial for the Rangers moving forward. If New York wants to make a deep playoff run, the scoring has to start coming from lines other than the second.
Verdict: It’s close, but I give the Panthers the slight edge.
Defensemen and Goaltending
Similarly to the offense, the Blueshirts and Cats’ defense rank near the top of the league. Both teams have also got stellar goaltending all season from their respective tandems. This season, Sergei Bobrovsky has been one of the best goalies in the entire league. Jonathan Quick has arguably been the best backup, given his age.
Panthers:
The Panthers defense has been excellent this season. They are led by the likes of Aaron Ekblad, Brandon Montour, and Gustav Forsling. When healthy, Ekblad can be one of the better defenseman in the game. Just last season, Montour had a career year, in which he put up 73 points, and was a big reason why the Panthers made it to the Stanley Cup. But you can’t forget about Forsling, one of the more underrated players at his position. He leads the league in plus-minus, at a clip of plus-46. He constantly shows game in and game out that he can shut down other teams’ best players. Along with them, they have other solid pieces, former Ranger Niko Mikkola, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Dmitry Kulikov. Now to the goaltending. Sergei Bobrovsky had an incredible playoff run last season, and he picked up right where he left off this season. He leads the league in goals against average, at 2.37, and also has a .916 save percentage to go along with 4 shutouts. The 35 year old is defying the odds and still playing elite in his mid 30s. Anthony Stolarz has also been great, with a 2.02 goals against average and a .925 save percentage. We know the Panthers offense can be deadly when they’re firing on all cylinders, but on backend, they can be just as good.
Rangers:
Where else can I start for the Rangers without mentioning Adam Fox? Although he has missed 10 games this season due to injury, he has 59 points in 60 games, including 13 goals, a new career high. He is arguably the best defenseman in the league when he is at his best. Fox is a big reason why the Rangers power play is amongst the best. His partner, Ryan Lindgren, is underrated by other fanbases. He is injured currently, and he is having a down year according to his metrics, but he is very good defensively if he chooses to. The Blueshirts Captain Jacob Trouba is also injured and he has been up and down for most of his Rangers tenure. At times, however, he has shown what he is capable of. K’Andre Miller is one of the better young defenseman in the NHL. The 24 year old has picked it up lately, collecting 5 points in his last 4 games. He is coming off a 43 point season. Erik Gustafsson hasn’t been the best defensively, but is a decent offensive defenseman. Braden Schneider got off to a slow start this season, but has been very good since the new year. Zac Jones has stepped up big time in his new role in the absence of Trouba and Lindgren. Moreover, New York’s goaltending has been very good all season. Igor Shesterkin has been the best goalie in the league since the start of February. So far he has a 2.60 goals against average, a .912 save percentage and 3 shutouts. Jonathan Quick has been a great story. Up to this point he has a 2.44 goals against average, a .916 save percentage and 2 shutouts. Should the Rangers aim for a Cup run, the defense and goaltending will be a big part of it.
Verdict: I give the Panthers the edge on the Blueline, but the Rangers goaltending a slight edge.
Both of these teams are razor close in so many categories. They have been going toe to toe in the standings all season long. If they were to face off against one another in the Eastern Conference Finals, it should be a great series. Will tonight be a preview of that?
BS Reports 
Leave a comment