Are the Rangers in trouble against the Panthers’ stingy defense?

Jonny Lazarus
Jonny Lazarus
Aaron Ekblad and Artemi Panarin
Credit: May 22, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (5) hits New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (10) during the first period of game one of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Game 1 wasn’t very pretty for the Florida Panthers or the New York Rangers. You can look at the final score and see 3-0 in favor of the Panthers, but it’s not like they necessarily dominated this game offensively. They just happened to be the much better defensive team — just like they have been all year. Florida improved to 5-1 on the road in the 2024 postseason.

“I think we can play better. I don’t think that was the best version of ourselves,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said about the group effort. “I think there’s more for us to give, and more for us to do out there.”

While the Rangers failed to execute offensively, you have to remember this is a very tough task at hand with who their opponent is.

During the regular season, the Panthers had the best team goals against (2.41) and allowed the fewest high-danger chances against per 60 minutes (10.61), that commitment to team defense showed on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. 

The Panthers are aware of how important executing on the defensive side of the puck can be in a game like this due to their experience last year in the same position. “

There’s always pressure, but as the playoffs go on — each play becomes more crucial and I feel like each is more magnified because it means so much to the series,” Panthers forward Nick Cousins told Daily Faceoff.

When you look at these two teams, it’s difficult to say which side has more pressure. With the way Game 1 went, the Panthers certainly brought all of the pressure out on the Rangers.

“Be physical, good on the forecheck. It was kind of your ideal road win for us and how we want to play,” Panthers superstar Matthew Tkachuk said. “Guys have bought into a certain style of play that has worked for us and has to keep working for us. That’s the best way to win in the playoffs. It’s a hard style to play, but it’s a hard style to play against.” 

This was not the Rangers’ best showing. Typically in a hockey game, the team that has the better effort and execution is more often than not going to win. This win put the Rangers in unfamiliar territory this postseason, and that is trailing in a series for the first time. 

“The New York Rangers are a veteran enough team that you’re not going to intimidate them,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice told Daily Faceoff. “This was not a particularly physical game based on our experience, but that’s more based on the teams we had happened to hit [Tampa Bay and Boston].”

Were the Rangers not physical enough? What was it that they were missing in such a big game on home ice? 

It was no coincidence that New York’s best offensive pressure of the game came right after Jacob Trouba threw a big hit to bring some life back into the building. 

The Rangers were struggling to get on the inside of the Panthers. For the most part, it felt like Florida was winning every race to the puck and outmuscling the Rangers in most of the 50/50 battles. 

“I thought we could have executed better. Some of that you’ve got to give [credit] to them, but some of it we have to take responsibility for our execution and moving pucks, getting pucks to areas we need to get to,” Laviolette said. 

If there’s something positive to take out of this, while it wasn’t a good showing for the home team, they found themselves in a one-goal game pretty late. That was a winnable game. 

“It’s onto the next game,” Trouba told Daily Faceoff. “It’s a long fight and I think throughout a series, you’re probably gonna be down at some point in the playoffs. Anytime you lose a game, you’re gonna have to respond in the next one.”

The Rangers will have to take a look at the film and clean things up in their own end but also try to figure out a way to get through each zone more cohesively. 

If they don’t find a way to fix those details in Game 2, they’re going to be in trouble.

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