The President Trophy winning Rangers are set to clash with the Florida Panthers for the right to represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals. As many have already predicted, this series is going to be really close. But how can the Blueshirts edge out the Cats and win this series? If these three things go as planned, they should be in good shape.
Special Teams
If the first two rounds were any indication, it is safe to say that the Rangers special teams are really good. Their 31.4 percent on the power play and 89.5 percent on the penalty kill would prove just that. On the contrary, the Panthers power play sits at an even 22 percent and their penalty kill is at 86.1 percent. Although the shorthanded numbers are close, the Rangers get the edge with the man up. They have a top unit that has become unpredictable. All five guys can make an impact at any time in their own ways. For a team that can be average at best when playing at even strength, it is going to be critical for the Blueshirts to not squander these opportunities. Florida is also one of the most penalized teams in the league, so if the trend continues, the power play needs to continue to roll.
Team Defense
In the first round, the Rangers easily handled the attack of the Washington Capitals. Then in Round 2, especially after Game 1, the Blueshirts got away from their defensive structure. Igor Shesterkin had to bail them out on multiple occasions and he is the main reason why they won Game 2 and even Game 3. Still, New York has shown that in Round 1 and in large chunks during the regular season that they are fully capable of playing shutdown defense. Of course, having an all world goalie helps, but making the job easier for him can go a long way. If they want to beat Florida’s grueling forecheck, they have to be able to withstand pressure and tighten up defensively. If they do, they can be hard to beat, especially with 31 in net.
Depth Scoring
The Florida Panthers are a very good offensive team. But like the Rangers and almost every other team, their scoring comes almost exclusively from their top lines. The key for the Blueshirts here is to get scoring from their bottom 6. Against the Capitals they got goals from guys like Kaapo Kakko, Barclay Goodrow and Matt Rempe, but in Round 2 for the most part, they were neutralized. The addition of Filip Chytil on the Rangers third line can certainly help the cause. Kaapo Kakko and more notably Alex Wennberg have been snakebit throughout these playoffs. Wennberg has had a lot of prime scoring chances but is yet to score a goal in the postseason. Jimmy Vesey, who had a decent regular season, has been quiet. If the Rangers want to advance to the Stanley Cup and more importantly win it, there will have to be scoring from guys in the bottom 6.
Therefore, the Rangers and Panthers are evenly matched in many categories. For the Blueshirts, however, if the above things go as planned, their chances of winning should increase significantly.
BS Reports 
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