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Florida Panthers vs New York Rangers Game 2: Eastern Conference Finals
The Florida Panthers are heading to Game 2 of the series against the New York Rangers with the momentum on their side and can get closer to the Stanley Cup Finals after the game at Madison Square Graden on Friday night.
The Panthers are off to a great start of the series
The Florida Panthers made a huge statement in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, beating the Rangers by 3-0. Matthew Tkachuk gave the Panthers the lead late in the first period, and they sealed the deal with two goals in the final minutes of the game, scored by Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett on the empty net. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky had a major impact on the game with 23 saves for the Panthers. Tkachuk has been the best player on the Panthers team so far in the playoffs with 16 points, and Aleksandar Barkov has added 13.
What’s going on with the Rangers?
The New York Rangers finished the regular season with the best record in the league and took that form to the playoffs. They won the first seven games of the playoffs but then lost three of the next four, including Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Panthers. The Rangers had one of the top offenses in the league all season long but failed to score for the first time in the postseason. They were aggressive after Florida took the lead but then went on without a single shot on goal for the full 14 minutes of the second period. Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin finished with 24 saves but still allowed three goals. Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck have been the best players for the Rangers in the playoffs, with 14 points each.
Betting Trends
The Rangers have won 10 of the last 13 games overall, 6 of the last 8 home games, 8 of the last 11 games against teams from the Eastern Conference and 5 of the last 8 games against the Panthers. New York has played over the total goal line in 5 of their last 8 games overall, 18 of the last 20 games against the Panthers, including 9 of the last 11 against them at home. The Panthers have won 13 of the last 16 games overall, 5 of the last 6 games on the road and 5 of the last 6 games against teams from the Eastern Conference. Florida has played over the total goal line in 6 of the last 10 games overall.
Prediction and Conclusion
We expected a big fight in the opening game of the Eastern Conference Finals, which was the case even though the final score of the game does not show that. The Rangers just could not convert on any of their scoring opportunities while the Panthers scored in the opening period, and that proved to be the key moment of the game. Now the Rangers have their backs against the wall, as they do not want to go south with a two-game deficit. Regardless of Game 1, the Rangers have been pretty dominant in recent years against the Panthers, so they will manage to bounce back and tie the series tonight.
