The Florida Panthers are halfway to accomplishing their goal of winning a Stanley Cup Championship for the first time in franchise history.
But the deeper the Panthers go in these playoffs, the better the competition gets.
Florida has had a relatively easy run through the first two rounds of the playoffs, taking out the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games and disposing of the Boston Bruins in six games.
Now, the Panthers will meet the New York Rangers in the ECF.
It is only fitting that these two division champions will play for the right to advance to the Stanley Cup final.
These teams were two of the best in the East all season, with the Rangers winning the President’s trophy for the overall best record in the NHL with 114 points and the Panthers winning the Atlantic Division title with 110 points.
The Rangers earned the right to meet the Panthers by sweeping the Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs and beating the Carolina Hurricanes in six games in round 2.
The Panthers will be looking to get to the Stanley Cup Finals for the third time in franchise history, while the Rangers will look for their first appearance since 2011.
This series could be a shootout as both teams can score goals quickly.
Panthers Defense Was The Best In The Eastern Conference
The Panthers tied Winnipeg for the league lead, allowing just 2.41 goals per game during the regular season, and they have maintained that pace in the playoffs, giving up just 2.45 goals per game.
Gustav Forsling led the NHL with a plus-56 rating. Compare that to Ryan Lindgren of the Rangers, who had a plus-22. That shows you how good the Panthers defense has been compared to the other NHL teams.
The Panthers are also allowing a league-low 24 shots per game.
Aleksander Barkov also contributes to the Panthers defense as he just picked up his second Selke Award, which is given to the best defensive forward in the NHL.
Sergei Bobrovsky Has Been A Difference Maker
Then there is Vezina finalist Sergei Bobrovsky in goal for the Panthers. Bobrovsky is allowing 2.37 goals in the playoffs.
The Rangers will counter with Igor Shesterkin, who has been equally good in these playoffs, giving up 2.40 goals per game.
The Rangers allowed 2.76 goals per game during the regular season and have been a bit better in the playoffs, giving up 2.60 goals per game.
Offensively, the Rangers and Panthers are leading the NHL in playoff scoring. The Panthers are averaging 3.70 goals per game, while the Rangers are averaging 3.50.
The Panthers are also generating a ton of shots, averaging 34 per game.
Mika Zibanejad leads the Rangers with 14 points, and Matthew Tkachuk leads the Panthers with 13 points.
Panthers Must Stay Out Of The Penalty Box
One huge key to this series will be the Panthers ability to stay out of the penalty box.
Florida led the NHL with 13.6 penalty minutes per game during the regular season.
Their propensity for taking penalties hasn’t hurt them so far in the playoffs, but it’s just a matter of time till taking that one ill-timed penalty comes back to bite you.
The Rangers power play kill (PK) and power play (PP) have been lights out in the playoffs. The Rangers are 89% on the PK, and 91% on the PP. The Rangers have also scored four shorthanded goals.
The Panthers special teams have been outstanding as well. Florida scored six PP goals and had one shorthanded goal in the Boston series.
The Panthers took two of three from the Rangers during the regular season, but these are the playoffs, and the regular season records can be thrown out the window.
Florida can play any style of hockey and win. They have proven that in this playoff run.
There was more skill in the five-game series against the Lightning and a lot of physical play in the six-game series win against the Bruins.
Author’s Prediction: I think this is the Panthers year. The playoff experience gained from last year’s playoff run, coupled with their dominant play so far this postseason, bodes well for the Panthers in this series.
I like the Panthers to win this series in seven games and play in their second consecutive Stanley Cup Final.