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Series Talk: ECF: New York Rangers vs Florida Panthers *Game 1 Wednesday 5/22 @ 8pm ET*

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bhamill said:
His QO is only 2.4m. You aren't going to get many quality 3rd liners, which he is, with upside, which he has, for less than that. His cap hit is NOT the issue.
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I'd argue that the organization could find a good 3rd liner for less than that and could actually use the piece that he could return more. For example, go sign someone like Perron, on a short deal, say $2.5-3m and then get a good d-man for Kakko. Or perhaps someone who can fill that top-6 RW spot like Farabee
 
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This will by no means be an easy series but I find it interesting how people seem to fear Florida more than Carolina. It’s almost like we’re just assuming since it’s the next round that it will get tougher. Kind of like how in fictional universes there’s always a tougher enemy than the antagonist at the time.

Carolina was maybe the hottest team in the league after the trade deadline. They also had one of the most successful acquisitions at the TDL. Florida was pretty mediocre leading into the playoffs.

Carolina is better on special teams than Florida. They were dominant on both the PK and PP. On paper this was never an advantage for the Rangers - they just turned it into one.

Carolina plays a much more suffocating, dominating style of hockey than Florida.

Florida has the obvious goaltending advantage but goaltending is what it is. Sometimes you’re hot, sometimes you’re not.

The physicality is being overplayed. Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett are tough but they’re not going to dominate us physically. When the Rangers want they can overpower a lot of teams physically. The Rangers have proven that physicality isn’t a deterrent for them.

Carolina was a massive hump. The toughest second round matchup the Rangers could have possibly gotten. They will be ready.
 
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ColonialsHockey10 said:
This will by no means be an easy series but I find it interesting how people seem to fear Florida more than Carolina. It’s almost like we’re just assuming since it’s the next round that it will get tougher. Kind of like how in fictional universes there’s always a tougher enemy than the antagonist at the time.

Carolina was maybe the hottest team in the league after the trade deadline. They also had one of the most successful acquisitions at the TDL. Florida was pretty mediocre leading into the playoffs.

Carolina is better on special teams than Florida. They were dominant on both the PK and PP. On paper this was never an advantage for the Rangers - they just turned it into one.

Carolina plays a much more suffocating, dominating style of hockey than Florida.

Florida has the obvious goaltending advantage but goaltending is what it is. Sometimes you’re hot, sometimes you’re not.

The physicality is being overplayed. Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett are tough but they’re not going to dominate us physically. When the Rangers want they can overpower a lot of teams physically. The Rangers have proven that physicality isn’t a deterrent for them.

Carolina was a massive hump. The toughest second round matchup the Rangers could have possibly gotten. They will be ready.
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Yeah, I pretty much agree. Carolina scared me more.

We might actually be able to play against Flordia. Against the Hurricanes, you're going to play their game and just hope for the best. That's how they are.

I don't care about physicality. Florida won't forecheck as well as that super fast Carolina team. Most of their physicality is chicanery. Bring it on. We're tougher than them and we're more annoying than them.

All that being said, the Carolina series was razor close. Way more than the 3-0 lead made it look. I expect this to be close as well.
 
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Believe this game will be won from behind the bench.
Laviolette is a coaching and Maurice is a cheerleader.
From what I’ve seen this season is Matthew Tkaczuk is running the Panthers. The Florida players follow his vision.
Twice this season that I am aware of, Tkaczuk told his team to play the first 10 minutes of the game without the puck. One of those games they one and the other was a loss. Maurice is a passenger. Equivalent to a Father that wants to be best friends with his kids rather than raising them.
Laviolette >>>>> Tkaczuk.
Rangers in 4
 
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LOFIN said:
Disagreed. They absolutely deserved every bit of criticism and then some. Especially Zibanejad, he was atrocious.

Also, they deserve a ton of credit on how they are playing right now. And I think we all prefer it this way around, step up in the playoffs.
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I dont get this. Are players not entitled to down years? And they were so bad as our 1C & 1LW that we *checks notes* went wire to wire with the division and won the President's trophy.
 
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Clark Kellogg said:
Believe this game will be won from behind the bench.
Laviolette is a coaching and Maurice is a cheerleader.
From what I’ve seen this season is Matthew Tkaczuk is running the Panthers. The Florida players follow his vision.
Twice this season that I am aware of, Tkaczuk told his team to play the first 10 minutes of the game without the puck. One of those games they one and the other was a loss. Maurice is a passenger. Equivalent to a Father that wants to be best friends with his kids rather than raising them.
Laviolette >>>>> Tkaczuk.
Rangers in 4
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Maurice is a good quote but he is essentially a rich man's Gallant. He should get more heat for quitting on the Jets mid-season a few years back. The extent of his adjustments will be shuffling automatic penalties like Lomborg & Cousins into and out of the lineup in favor of plodding has beens like Okposo. Saw Chiclets (and Biz of course) saying the Panthers have more depth than us. They definitely dont. They wouldnt be shifting Bennett to 3C if they were confident in their depth.
 
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McRanger92 said:
I dont get this. Are players not entitled to down years? And they were so bad as our 1C & 1LW that we *checks notes* went wire to wire with the division and won the President's trophy.
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Also, footage not found on the down year.

Zibanejad, yes.

Kreider had, pound for pound, his best offensive season. 36 assists shattering his previous career high.

It's crazy that he's still improving at 32.
 
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ColonialsHockey10 said:
This will by no means be an easy series but I find it interesting how people seem to fear Florida more than Carolina. It’s almost like we’re just assuming since it’s the next round that it will get tougher. Kind of like how in fictional universes there’s always a tougher enemy than the antagonist at the time.

Carolina was maybe the hottest team in the league after the trade deadline. They also had one of the most successful acquisitions at the TDL. Florida was pretty mediocre leading into the playoffs.

Carolina is better on special teams than Florida. They were dominant on both the PK and PP. On paper this was never an advantage for the Rangers - they just turned it into one.

Carolina plays a much more suffocating, dominating style of hockey than Florida.

Florida has the obvious goaltending advantage but goaltending is what it is. Sometimes you’re hot, sometimes you’re not.

The physicality is being overplayed. Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett are tough but they’re not going to dominate us physically. When the Rangers want they can overpower a lot of teams physically. The Rangers have proven that physicality isn’t a deterrent for them.

Carolina was a massive hump. The toughest second round matchup the Rangers could have possibly gotten. They will be ready.
Click to expand...
For one, Carolina has routinely blown it in the playoffs. I'd have been more confident against the Leafs than the Lightning in Rd1 even tho the former was the better team. Florida is the reigning East Champs, and unlike last year, they're not riding adrenaline to get here, they're a calm, confident group.

They're also much more dynamic than the Hurricanes. They present just as aggressive and suffocating a opponent, but top-end talent that can not just go toe-to-toe with us, but might grade out even better. Their goalie isn't a sieve. They've got the best player in the series by a mile frankly, and may have the second best one too.

And I also don't agree one bit with the idea that the Canes play a more dominating style of hockey. The Panthers are even more aggressive and their blueline can make plays rather than just pinch and hold lines. They get to the net on everybody. They control the puck for whole games it can seem like. Boston had 8 shots going into the back half of the third period in game 3 I think it was.

I don't know how to handicap this one, but I think Florida is a much more formidable opponent than the Hurricanes. I'd love to be wrong.
 
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Machinehead said:
Yeah, I pretty much agree. Carolina scared me more.

We might actually be able to play against Flordia. Against the Hurricanes, you're going to play their game and just hope for the best. That's how they are.

I don't care about physicality. Florida won't forecheck as well as that super fast Carolina team. Most of their physicality is chicanery. Bring it on. We're tougher than them and we're more annoying than them.

All that being said, the Carolina series was razor close. Way more than the 3-0 lead made it look. I expect this to be close as well.
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I feel like a lot of the Florida "physicality" is like taking cheapshots behind the play. You just deal with that or dish it back. It is what it is and the Rangers aren't pushovers. Tkachuk scares no one unless you're worried about him talking your ear deaf.

Series could hinge on what players get hot far more than a perceived "toughness"

McRanger92 said:
Maurice is a good quote but he is essentially a rich man's Gallant. He should get more heat for quitting on the Jets mid-season a few years back. The extent of his adjustments will be shuffling automatic penalties like Lomborg & Cousins into and out of the lineup in favor of plodding has beens like Okposo. Saw Chiclets (and Biz of course) saying the Panthers have more depth than us. They definitely dont. They wouldnt be shifting Bennett to 3C if they were confident in their depth.
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Rangers depth matches up well if Chytil is the lineup...I'm putting a lot on his shoulders but he absolutely could be an "x factor" for the Rangers
 
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TheDirtyH said:
They're also much more dynamic than the Hurricanes. They present just as aggressive and suffocating an opponent, but top-end talent that can not just go toe-to-toe with us, but might grade out even better. Their goalie isn't a sieve. They've got the best player in the series by a mile frankly, and may have the second best one too.
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Which players are you referring to? I’d argue in a vacuum we have the best forward (Panarin) and goalie (Igor). We objectively have the best defenseman. Fox is still the best player on the blue line with his injuries.

Florida is definitely more skilled and dynamic, but I feel like Carolina’s style has been analyzed so much the past month that we basically treat them like the 2021 Islanders now. They have tons of skilled forwards up front. We’re underrating their top guys. Aho would have been the Panthers leading scorer. They don’t play their system out of necessity like some would be led to believe.

Guys like Sam Bennett are conversely being heavily overrated. He’s not Cam Neely - he’s a solid second liner that throws some big hits.

I don’t necessarily disagree with anything you’re saying - all good points. It’s going to be a tough series. But Carolina was as perfect of a warmup as you could ever ask for. They’re really good.
 
Had a friend ask me a couple days ago what I thought about Laviolette. When I was thinking about a response, I had the revelation that I actually think he's the best coach the Rangers have had in my memory as a fan (late 90s).

He makes some sketchy decisions that every coach will make, but for the most part he always seems to know what the correct course is, and has shown that time and time again.

And when he makes decisions we aren't a big fan of, I can see the reasoning behind it. Like, I get why he never buried Trouba on the 3rd pair sooner for example.; that was a big move to make, and he needed to be 100% sure before he opened that door. Most coaches would never have done it at all.
 
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ColonialsHockey10 said:
Which players are you referring to? I’d argue in a vacuum we have the best forward (Panarin) and goalie (Igor). We objectively have the best defenseman. Fox is still the best player on the blue line with his injuries.

Florida is definitely more skilled and dynamic, but I feel like Carolina’s style has been analyzed so much the past month that we basically treat them like the 2021 Islanders now. They have tons of skilled forwards up front. We’re underrating their top guys. Aho would have been the Panthers leading scorer. They don’t play their system out of necessity like some would be led to believe.

Guys like Sam Bennett are conversely being heavily overrated. He’s not Cam Neely - he’s a solid second liner that throws some big hits.

I don’t necessarily disagree with anything you’re saying - all good points. It’s going to be a tough series. But Carolina was as perfect of a warmup as you could ever ask for. They’re really good.
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Fox with his injuries is likely not the best defenseman in this series.
 
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I don’t know why everyone fawns over the Panthers like they are some special group. The Rangers went to the ECF in 2022 and last year disappointed in the 1st round. This year they’re back in the ECF and won the presidents trophy.

Florida won the presidents trophy, made a franchise altering move, squeaked into the playoffs and made a miraculous Cup run that fell short. They’re back in the ECF.

Both of these teams have been knocking on the door and are ready to take that next step.

Some of your posts act like Florida is a different class of team than the Rangers. News flash, they’re not.

They are a really good team. All 4 teams left are really good teams. Any one of them can win the Cup and I would not be surprised
 
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ColonialsHockey10 said:
Which players are you referring to? I’d argue in a vacuum we have the best forward (Panarin) and goalie (Igor). We objectively have the best defenseman. Fox is still the best player on the blue line with his injuries.

Florida is definitely more skilled and dynamic, but I feel like Carolina’s style has been analyzed so much the past month that we basically treat them like the 2021 Islanders now. They have tons of skilled forwards up front. We’re underrating their top guys. Aho would have been the Panthers leading scorer. They don’t play their system out of necessity like some would be led to believe.

Guys like Sam Bennett are conversely being heavily overrated. He’s not Cam Neely - he’s a solid second liner that throws some big hits.

I don’t necessarily disagree with anything you’re saying - all good points. It’s going to be a tough series. But Carolina was as perfect of a warmup as you could ever ask for. They’re really good.
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Aho is great but his best year is basically a baseline for Barkov, and Barkov wins a Selke on top of it. Sam Reinhart nearly scored 60 goals and outscored Aho. Tkchuck in a down year paced about the same as Aho's best season. Matthew had back-to-back 100 point seasons the last two years. Verhagae is what people think Guentzel is. Florida with those four are on another planet than the Canes... Aho.. Svechnik-overated.. and who else? Necas? The swept that team for a reason. Carolina couldn't score.

As far as players in the series. I'd take Barkov over any player in the East not named Matthews and I might take him over Matthews too. He's also having a monster playoffs right now. Tkchuk would probably be the next best player, though a healthy Fox and Panarin are probably a similar tier. I'd take him over the latter for sure though, especially in the post season where Matthew shines and Panarin... remains to be seen.

Fox is the best defenseman, but not if he's playing like he did last round. If that's him, we're toast. Florida has a really underrated blueline. Forsling is a legit star. Montour is highly talented. Ekblad is up and down but he'd easily be the second best defenseman on this team at this point.

JMHO. Carolina is no slouch and was anything but a garauntee. Still, they're a weaker contender IMO. Florida is the class of the conference this year until proven otherwise.
 
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The advanced stats are all over the place for this series. The Athletic has us at 35%, MoneyPuck has us at 56.2%, HockeyViz has us at 45% (yes I know this chart is ludicrous the guy who owns the site is kind of odd). The Athletic and MoneyPuck have really lopsided series predictions but HockeyViz is pretty conservative.

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