On Friday, Game two of the best of seven series between the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers will take place. Madison Square Garden will host the Eastern Conference Finals game. The Florida Panthers lead the series 1-0 after a blanking on Wednesday.
The Florida Panthers were terrific in the Game 1 win. The Panthers are now 9-3 in the postseason. The Panthers eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games, the Boston Bruins in six, and now have the top seeded Rangers down 1-0. Florida went 52-24-6 in the regular season to win the Atlantic Division.
For the New York Rangers, this is the first time they have been trailing in a playoff series. The Rangers swept the Capitals in four games, and then eliminated Carolina in six games. That makes the Rangers 8-3 so far in the postseason. New York went 55-23-4 in the regular season, and won the President’s Cup.
The Florida Panthers are -115 in this game on the road. The total for this affair sits at 5.5 goals.
Impressive Game 1 Winner
Sergei Bobrovsky recorded a shut-out on 23 saves, and Game 1 was all Florida. Matthew Tkachuk got the party started with a first period goal. The teams did not score again until the third period when Connor Verhaeghe made it 2-0, and Sam Bennett recorded an empty net goal.
Bobrovsky has been tremendous in the postseason. He allowed 6 goals in a loss to Tampa and four in a loss to the Bruins, but 9 of his 12 games in the postseason have been two goals or less. He was 36-17-4 with a 2.37 in the regular season for Florida.
Tkachuk and Reinhart were the top point scorers for Florida during the regular season. They have not skipped a beat in the postseason. Tkachuk had a goal and four assists against Boston. Reinhart had two goals and four assists.
Back to the Wall Rangers
This is the first adversity of the postseason for New York. Goaltender Igor Shesterkin was not bad, but his two goals allowed was enough to take the loss. He is now 8-3 in the postseason. Shesterkin has allowed 12 goals over his last four games, which is a bit alarming for the Rangers.
So far Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck, along with Chris Kreider have carried the offense in the postseason. Panarin and Kreider have 10 points, while Trocheck leads the team with 14. Kreider had a hat trick in the Game 6 win on the road at Carolina.
The Rangers were one of the top scoring teams in the National Hockey League during the regular season. They scored 3.39 goals per game. The power play for New York ranked third, scoring on more than 26% of their chances.
Rangers Win at Home
The Florida Panthers are red hot right now. The win on Wednesday was impressive. New York knows they have to be better in this game. The Rangers are not going to lose two in a row at home to start the series.
Look for the Rangers to win this game, and move the series to Florida tied at 1 game each. The final bet for this game is the New York Rangers +105 over the Florida Panthers in Game 2. Enjoy the game and best of luck with all your National Hockey League betting!
