(New York) After the first two rounds of the National Hockey League playoffs, the hopes of seeing a 30-year drought without a Stanley Cup for the Rangers were very present in New York.
However, it only took one game against the Florida Panthers, reigning Eastern Conference champions, for the Rangers to come back down to earth.
The Panthers largely had the upper hand on Wednesday, winning 3-0 at Madison Square Garden. They controlled the neutral zone and limited the Rangers to 24 shots. The majority of these gave goalkeeper Sergei Bobrovsky no trouble.
The Rangers were unable to respond to the Panthers’ forecheck, making poor passes out of the zone. They didn’t manage to establish their own forward check until the third period, and they didn’t take advantage of their chances when they had them.
PHOTO KARL B DEBLAKER, ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette
“Can we win? [vendredi] evening ? I definitely believe we can win, said Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette on Thursday. So it’s up to us to hold meetings, talk about small fixes and get back to the game we’re comfortable and happy with. »
The Rangers could also make some changes to their lineup to get back to winning ways. It could be the return of strong man Matt Rempe, to the great pleasure of New York fans.
The Rangers will need a spark. They were notably unable to get a single shot on target during a 14-minute sequence in the second period.
“On the bench, we didn’t feel like the win was in the bag in any way shape or form,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said.
Maurice’s concerns are brought to Friday. He noted that after the victory in the first game of the first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning, their rivals from Florida offered their best effort in the second matchup.
Maurice also said the Panthers played their best game of the playoffs after losing the first game to the Boston Bruins in the second round. He therefore expects a return from the Rangers.
Rangers rookie Will Cuylle said the ability to respond after poor performances was one of his team’s trademarks.
“Throughout the season, we have shown that when a match does not go the way we want, we are ready to play the next match,” he said.