PREVIEW: Panthers try to close out Rangers, return to Stanley Cup Final

SUNRISE, Fla. – It’s proper there for the taking.

With an opportunity to return to the Stanley Cup Last for the second consecutive season and the third time in franchise historical past, the Florida Panthers will attempt to shut out the New York Rangers in Recreation 6 of the Jap Convention Last at Amerant Financial institution Area on Saturday.

If the Panthers handle to push previous the Rangers, they’ll grow to be the primary staff to achieve the Stanley Cup Last after shedding the earlier 12 months for the reason that Pittsburgh Penguins again in 2009.

“You have to deal with it like a daily recreation, particularly with how tight this collection is,” Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour stated. “Every shift is so essential. Once more, it is a staff that is on the point of their season being completed. We anticipate their finest. It’s going to be a pleasant loud constructing for us. You’re going to get our greatest as nicely. It’s going to be a superb recreation.”

Coming from behind to take a 3-2 lead within the collection, the Panthers enter tonight’s matchup following a 3-2 win over the Rangers in Recreation 5 at Madison Sq. Backyard on Thursday.

After a scoreless first interval, the Rangers broke the ice when Chris Kreider, who’d gone and not using a level within the first 4 video games of the collection, scored shorthanded to make it 1-0.

Answering earlier than the intermission for the Panthers, Gustav Forsling, who’s grow to be a family identify across the NHL throughout this 12 months’s playoff run, took a no-look go from Sam Bennett and roofed a backhand into the highest of the cage to even the scored at 1-1.

Close to the halfway level of the third interval, 22-year-old Anton Lundell despatched the Panthers forward when he slipped a shot underneath Igor Shesterkin’s blocker with a snipe from the left circle in transition to make it 2-1. Later, Bennett added and empty-netter to make it 3-1.

With lower than a minute left, Alexis Lafrenière minimize New York’s deficit to 3-2.

“I feel we are able to a bit higher begin, however we battled for a full 60 minutes,” Bennett stated of Recreation 5. “We caught to our recreation. We didn’t attempt to cheat the sport in any respect. It was only a full, stable effort.”

Because it has been all through the collection, the Panthers merely bought higher as the sport went on.

Within the third interval of Recreation 5, they primarily dominated the Rangers at 5-on-5, main 14-7 in photographs on objective, 12-6 in scoring probabilities and 8-2 in high-danger shot makes an attempt. Over the course of their playoff run, the Panthers have a 23-13 benefit in targets within the third interval.

Whether or not it’s their relentless forecheck sporting down opponents or their knack for developing within the clutch, the Panthers really feel their confidence actually grows the longer the sport goes on.

“I feel we simply attempt to keep affected person all through the sport,” Panthers ahead Kevin Stenlund stated. “Even when we’ve a nasty begin or one thing, we all know we’re good within the third.”

Attempting to dig themselves out of a gap within the collection, the Rangers are looking for solutions.

The areas considered their strengths heading into the collection merely haven’t been.

Whereas Vincent Trocheck (two targets, three assists) and Lafrenière (4 targets) have been doing their half, New York’s different prime gamers haven’t been in a position to muster a lot towards Florida, which has accomplished an distinctive job slowing down a often potent Rangers offense.

Artemi Panarin, who had a career-high 120 factors within the common season, has dished out simply three assists, whereas Mika Zibanejad and Kreider, two-thirds of the staff’s prime line, have mixed for only one objective and three assists. On the blue line, Adam Fox has three helpers.

A part of that lack of manufacturing has been as a result of Panthers’ glorious penalty kill.

Coming into the collection working at over 30% with the person benefit, the Rangers have gone simply 1-for-14 on the facility play towards the Panthers, ok for a 7.1% success charge.

By comparability, Florida is executing at 27.8% with the additional attacker within the collection.

“The D core is three forwards, too,” Montour stated when requested concerning the staff’s success on protection. “I feel you simply sort of take note of who’s on the market. I feel we’ve accomplished a superb job of getting of their face early, staying on them fairly tight. Any ability participant or any participant that likes to play with the puck and create offense, it’s irritating for them once they don’t have a lot area. I feel we’ve accomplished a superb job holding them to as little as we are able to.”

Ultimately, huge video games usually come all the way down to huge goaltending.

For each groups, they’ll depend on their man between the pipes.

Giving up two or fewer targets in 9 of his final 10 begins, Sergei Bobrovsky has been lights out for the Panthers when known as upon within the collection. Beginning out with a shutout in Recreation 1, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner owns a stable .913 save proportion towards the Rangers.

Preserving the Rangers within the collection, Shesterkin has been taking part in like a person possessed, posting a .934 save proportion whereas doing every thing he can to maintain the video games shut. Via simply 5 video games, he’s already confronted 47 high-danger photographs, stopping 41 of them.

“He’s been unbelievable, actually for the final two years,” Bennett stated of Bobrovsky. “He offers us a lot confidence again there. We all know we are able to depend on him to make a pair huge saves if there’s ever a breakdown. He’s been unbelievable. All you may ask for is a goalie you may depend on, and we are able to depend on Bobby.”

With only one extra win blocking their path again to the promised land, the Panthers, as they’ve discovered during the last two seasons, know this recreation will primarily come down to at least one battle.

Want vs. Desperation.

“I’m not an enormous believer in momentum in any respect,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice stated. “Each groups have an power supply right here tonight. They’ve the benefit of the desperation supply and, possibly I don’t have the fitting phrase, we’ve the need.”

PANTHERS PLAYOFF LEADERS

Targets: Verhaeghe (9)

Assists: Tkachuk (14)

Factors: Tkachuk (19)

Hits: Ekblad (53)

Blocks: Montour (27)

RANGERS PLAYOFF LEADERS

Targets: Trocheck, Kreider (8)

Assists: Zibanejad (13)

Factors: Trocheck (19)

Hits: Trouba, Trocheck (55)

Blocks: Trouba (71)

THEY SAID IT

“I feel it’s only a continuation of what we’ve seen. I feel the pace amps up. The staff that closest to their identification wins, whether or not it’s an elimination recreation or not. How briskly and fast you will get to your identification wins the sport.” – Paul Maurice

“It’s going to be their finest. Every recreation has been so shut. With our group, particularly, if we’re down or on the brink we’re going to play the identical means. That’s our mindset. We’re going to convey it. They’re going to clearly convey it.” – Brandon Montour

“[The penalty kill] begins with faceoffs. You win that, you kill off a superb quantity of seconds. After that, we simply stress. It’s a whole lot of stress. [We try] to not give them time and area.” – Kevin Stenlund

FIVE CATS STATS

– The Panthers have six come-from-behind wins this postseason.

– Sam Bennett has lit the lamp in every of the final two video games.

– Gustav Forsling is driving a three-game level streak (2G, 1A).

– The Panthers have out-shot their opponents in 14 of 16 video games this postseason.

– The Panthers personal a 93.9% penalty kill success charge over their final 12 video games.

PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

Forwards

Carter Verhaeghe – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart

Matthew Tkachuk – Sam Bennett – Evan Rodrigues

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Vladimir Tarasenko

Steven Lorentz – Kevin Stenlund – Kyle Okposo

Defensemen

Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola – Brandon Montour

Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Dmitry Kulikov

Goaltenders

Sergei Bobrovsky

Anthony Stolarz

RECENT TRANSACTIONS:

– Could 6: F Patrick Giles recalled from Charlotte (AHL)

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN

When: Saturday, June 1 at 8 p.m. ET

The place: Amerant Financial institution Area – Dawn, FL

TV & Streaming: ABC, ESPN+

Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 92.1 WZZR (Palm Seashore); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM Channel 220 / App & Streaming 932; Panthers App

Tickets: Right here