Chris Kreider’s historic natural hat trick in Game 6 left the crowd in Raleigh stunned and sent the New York Rangers to the Eastern Conference Final for the 2nd time in 3 years. It was a 3rd period ambush that will live on forever in the history books of this storied franchise, but Kreider and this squad couldn’t care less. All year, it’s been a businesslike mentality – focusing on the present, executing the game plan and turning the page with a quiet confidence regardless of the outcome. The next hurdle in the quest for glory is Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk and the fiery Florida Panthers.
When preparing to face each other, I imagine these two teams feel like they’re looking in the mirror. Both squads feature a blend of unicorn level talent up front, elite goaltending, savvy brains behind the bench, a mean streak in their compete level and an unwavering belief they’re going to win the hockey game. This series is going to be all-out war and both teams relish being the men in the arena.
X Factors
For the Panthers, Anton Lundell has emerged this postseason as a playoff performer and a threat every time he jumps over the boards. He quietly has 11 points in 11 games, centering the 3rd line alongside Eetu Luostarinen and Evan Rodrigues. The threats posed by Barkov’s line and Sam Bennett’s line are well documented, but Lundell ran circles around the Boston Bruins and will look to continue to win his matchups over the Rangers’ bottom six forwards.
For the Rangers, my gut is again telling me Filip Chytil. Obviously battling concussion related health concerns, but he appears to be ready to go and in good spirits.
Inserting fresh legs and a gamebreaker in Chytil can’t be understated, as well as an awesome morale boost for the team more broadly. For as enjoyable of a year it’s been for the Rangers, it’s been a turbulent one for Chytil, and he must have all the motivation in the world to come back at this juncture and make a difference.
I’ll also throw the officiating in here as an X factor. It’ll be very interesting to see how the officials (and the league offices) want to police this series. Are they going to put the whistles away and let these teams go at it? Are they going to nip any extracurriculars in the bud, so as to prevent complete chaos? Are they going to pair minor penalty calls with embellishment calls? When you consider the Rangers’ 31.4% success rate on the power play and the way they use the man advantage to swing momentum, these questions loom large.
By the end of Game 1, maybe even after the first period, it’ll be clear how this series is going to be called.
Lineup Decisions
In the jungle where the Panthers live, you either eat or get eaten. Florida has a chip on their shoulder from losing last year’s Stanley Cup Final and are playing for keeps. If an opposing player gets injured in the pursuit of their goal, that’s their problem. Brad Marchand said the quiet part out loud with regard to that, after being sidelined for a few games after a Sam Bennett sucker punch.
All this to say, if there’s any spot for Matt Rempe to get into the lineup, it’s this series. I don’t think he should play every game, but I wonder if it’s worth throwing him out there for a game or two. Especially on home ice, the Rangers ought to be the aggressor instead of reacting to aggression. The coaching staff has been diligent in working with Rempe to help him understand what he can and can’t do to help the team. For the most part, he’s done a solid job when called upon. He doesn’t necessarily need to fight either – it’s about finishing his checks, making the Panthers’ defensemen think twice about retrieving pucks in the corner and neutralizing the Panthers’ instigators as best he can. I’m not sure why Rempe’s value has become such a point of contention on the interwebs, but I’m of the belief his presence absolutely holds weight in a series like this. He obviously isn’t playing with a ton of skill out there, but he definitely has more than he’s given credit for.
Aside from Rempe, Blake Wheeler has come all the way back from his devastating leg injury on February 15th to make himself an option. Of course, you have Chytil waiting in the wings, along with Jonny Brodzinski, who saw action in Game 4 and Game 6 of the Hurricanes series. Peter Laviolette is going to have to make some tough choices, but he’s proven to be adept at navigating lineup decisions and maintaining a healthy line of communication with all of his players. As much as I’d like to see Rempe in the lineup, maybe it doesn’t make sense to have him take Chytil’s spot. Maybe there’s an off the board healthy scratch in store to make room for two of the aforementioned names? I don’t envy Laviolette here.
From a Panthers’ point of view, the 4th line is where guys have been coming in and out of the lineup. Nick Cousins played in all of Florida’s first seven playoff games before giving way to Bennett, returning from his hand/wrist injury. Ryan Lomberg was an mainstay of last year’s team before having to compete for a spot with the addition of Kyle Okposo at the trade deadline. Kevin Stenlund and Steven Lorentz are two other high energy guys that have gotten some action on the 4th line. It’ll be interesting to see how head coach Paul Maurice manages his bottom six and the 4th line in particular.
Depth and competition for playing time have always been the hallmark of Cup contending teams and both the Panthers and the Rangers have good problems on their hands. Something tells me lineup decisions will turn into a chess match between Laviolette and Maurice throughout the series.
Prediction
This series will showcase the two best teams in the East and sets up to be an all-time classic. The sheer drama of this series won’t be for the faint of heart.
I feel like the Panthers’ identity lends itself to taking a few too many penalties, which plays right into the Rangers’ strength on the power play. Sergei Bobrovsky is a world-class goalie but Igor Shesterkin is locked in and on a mission. This series will inevitably go seven, at which point I’ll take the home team. Rangers in 7.
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