One year after making it to the Stanley Cup Final, the Florida Panthers have returned to the Eastern Conference final. Meanwhile, the New York Rangers, who won the Presidents’ Trophy, are back there for the second time in three years.
Now, these two top teams from the East will meet in the playoffs for only the second time, with their last encounter dating back to 1997. The first game of the conference finals will take place at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.
For the Rangers, reaching this stage has been quite a feat, considering the so-called curse of the Presidents’ Trophy. They are only the second team since 2013 to make it past the second round after winning the Trophy, following the footsteps of the 2015 Rangers.
New York kicked off the playoffs with seven straight wins, sweeping Washington in the first round and taking the first three games against Carolina in the second round. Although they faced two consecutive losses, they managed a comeback in Game 6 against the Hurricanes, securing their spot in the East final.
Defenseman Adam Fox expressed confidence in the team’s energy and readiness for the upcoming series, emphasizing the hard-fought journey to reach this point.
The Rangers are led by Artemi Panarin, who had an outstanding season with 49 goals and 71 assists, putting him in the running for MVP. Vincent Trocheck, Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, and Fox also had strong performances, each accumulating over 70 points.
In the playoffs, Kreider and Trocheck have been standouts, with seven and six goals respectively, while Alexis Lafrenière has also been making valuable contributions after a breakthrough regular season.
Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov acknowledges the challenge posed by the Rangers, who were the best team in the regular season. He emphasizes the importance of focusing on their own game.
On the other side, the Panthers are led by Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk, Barkov, and Carter Verhaeghe, all of whom have been key contributors, both in the regular season and playoffs.
Last year, the Panthers had a remarkable playoff run, defeating top-seeded Boston in the first round and making it to the Cup Final before losing to Vegas. This season, they finished first in the Atlantic Division, just four points behind the Rangers.
Rangers coach Peter Laviolette acknowledges the Panthers’ strengths, noting their speed, size, skill, and physicality. He sees similarities between them and the Carolina team they faced previously, but also recognizes their unique style of play.
In the regular season, Florida won two out of three matchups against the Rangers, with the Rangers securing a shootout win in their last meeting in late March.
