The Florida Panthers will try to get an advantage when they visit the New York Rangers for Game 5 at Madison Square Garden in the Eastern Conference Final, which is knotted 2-2 on Thursday.
The Panthers allowed just two goals on the road against New York in the first two games of the series.
“The series is now a best-of-three, according to Panthers forward Anton Lundell. We’ll simply proceed game after game. We can play on the road, too. That’s not a problem.”
After losing Games 2 and 3 in overtime, the Panthers trailed 2-1 in the series. However, they tied the score in Game 4 at Amerant when the extra frame finally went their way to Bank Arena on Tuesday.
Sam Reinhart, who led the NHL with a career-high 27 goals on the power play during the regular season, was sent to the power play after Aleksander Barkov was hooked less than a minute into overtime, on a breakaway. He blasted a one-timer from the slot to seal the 3-2 victory.
The Panthers had an 88-17 shot attempt advantage over the second and third quarters.
“Oliver Ekman-Larsson, a defenseman for the Panthers, stated, “I thought we came out moving the puck, skating well, creating a lot of chances in the second and third.” “That’s something anything we wish to incorporate into the game tonight.”
Finding a way to do some damage against New York’s penalty kill, the Panthers have scored with the man advantage in each of the last three games, going 5-for-12 (41.7%). Three of those goals have come from Reinhart, and Carter Verhaeghe has the other two.
The Panthers scored two of their three goals in the fourth game on the power play, and they can also be credited with the game’s opening goal thanks to special teams. Sam Bennett’s goal to tie the score 1-1 went past Igor Shesterkin’s pads right before the power play expired.
Both players have ignited the lamp three times in the series, and Reinhart and Verhaeghe have been spearheading the Panthers’ offensive assault. Matthew Tkachuk, who has been doing a lot of the setup work, leads the club in assists with four this series, while Barkov has three.
The Rangers have been largely depending on two-thirds of their players, with players like Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, and Artemi Panarin still looking for their first goals of the series second line as Alexis Lafrenière (3) and Vincent Trocheck (2) have scored five of the team’s nine goals.
Lafrenière, who is only 22 years old, has scored three goals in the last three games, showing off some of the skill that earned him the first overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft two games, with two of those goals coming on highlight-reel sequences that showcased his growing potential.
“Ekman-Larsson slowed down Lafrenière and remarked, “If you skate and have a good stick, you can take time and space away.” “They have a lot of good players over there to be aware of. We feel at ease playing against one of the league’s top teams at the same time.”
New York’s biggest weapon remains Shesterkin.
It’s reasonable to argue that the Panthers might have won a sweep if it weren’t for his performance.
Against the Panthers, the former Vezina Trophy winner has made 25 high-danger stops while owning an impressive.931 save percentage in the series. At 5-on-5, he’s turned aside 97 of 102 shots (.951%) while saving 4.34 goals above expected, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
Sergei Bobrovsky, a towering figure for the Panthers, with a.910 save percentage during the series.
After being a healthy scratch in Game 4, Filip Chytil is expected to suit up for the Rangers in Game 5. Chytil, who suffered a concussion in early November and missed much of the regular season, has played in five postseason games for the Rangers.
Blake Wheeler might be the odd man out for New York with Chytil returning.
The Panthers will make no lineup changes.
“The desperation of finality, you can start to feel it,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. “In 48 hours, a highly skilled squad will be up against elimination. You can feel that. Both sides will be in a desperate situation.”
PANTHERS PLAYOFF LEADERS
Goals: Verhaeghe (9)
Assists: Tkachuk (14)
Points: Tkachuk (19)
Hits: Ekblad (47)
Blocks: Montour (25)
RANGERS PLAYOFF LEADERS
Goals: Trocheck (8)
Assists: Zibanejad, Trocheck (11)
Points: Trocheck (19)
Hits: Trouba (52)
Blocks: Trouba (67)
THEY SAID IT
“We’ve been doing a pretty good job [on defense]. It comes down to our gaps, our sticks, and the same thing there. It’s moving our legs and taking time and space away.” – Oliver Ekman-Larsson
“We’re a very confident group. We believe in each other. We just need to focus on defense because we know we’ll have chances to score.” – Gustav Forsling
“It’s exciting. This is a fantastic opportunity. This structure won’t run out of energy.. It’s going to be a fun, exciting opportunity. We’re confident about our prospects..” – Aaron Ekblad
FIVE CATS STATS
– At Madison Square Garden, Sergei Bobrovsky saved 52 of 54 shots in Games 1 and 2.
– In the playoffs, Matthew Tkachuk has scored a team-high 10 points (3G, 7A) while playing away from home.
– Out of the 15 postseason games, the Panthers have outshot their opponent 13 times.
– The Panthers own a 93.3% penalty kill success rate over their last 11 games.
– Carter Verhaeghe has a five-game point streak going into tonight’s contest.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Evan Rodrigues, Sam Bennett, and Matthew Tkachuk
Vladimir Tarasenko, Anton Lundell, and Eetu Luostarinen
Kevin Stenlund, Kyle Okposo, and Steven Lorentz
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Brandon Montour
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Dmitry Kulikov
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Anthony Stolarz
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:– May 6: Recalled from Charlotte (AHL) is F Patrick Giles.
