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The Florida Panthers go on the road tonight to face the New York Rangers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Panthers look to make their third Stanley Cup Final appearance in franchise history. On the other hand, the Rangers seek to break the President’s Trophy curse with a victory in this round.
The Eastern Conference Final starts tonight! #TimeToHunt pic.twitter.com/Lpk8QM1OgN
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) May 22, 2024
Key Narratives: Panthers
The Panthers are certainly battle-tested after their shocking Finals run last year.
Their well-rounded play is a great counter to the Rangers’ league-best offense. Florida’s scoring was more than enough to prevail over the Tampa Bay Lighting in five games. And after a series of blowouts in the first three games, the Panthers proved their ability to win low scoring affairs as well in their series with the Bruins.
One of the team’s potential weaknesses is their goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky’s recent performances. Despite some notable saves, he has had six games with a sub .900 save percentage in the playoffs.
Still, this is an issue that the Panthers can easily overcome. They’re able to limit the opposing team’s chances and have been phenomenal killing penalties in their last seven games.
Florida enters the game slightly favored over New York according to SportsLine.
Key Narratives: Rangers
As stated earlier, the Rangers own the best offense in the league statistically.
In addition to their league-high 114 points, New York has a premiere goaltender in Igor Shesterkin. His .923 save percentage eclipses that of Bobrovsky through 10 games. Furthermore, he’s made 45-plus saves in back-to-back games against the Hurricanes. This includes a phenomenal 54 save performance to secure a double overtime victory in game 2 of that series.
The Rangers’ key to success will be their ability to capitalize on power play points.
Heavyweight Matchup
THE EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL BEGINS TONIGHT‼️ #StanleyCup
Who is taking Game 1? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/YJKEY7KXUE
— NHL (@NHL) May 22, 2024
The East’s divisional winners face each other for the second time ever (1997) tonight at 8 pm. You can tune in to the game on ESPN.
