Panthers Look For Commanding Lead Over Rangers
Florida Looks To Go Up 2-0 as Visitors Per Panthers vs Rangers Game 2 Odds
The Florida Panthers will try to take a commanding series lead when they square off against the New York Rangers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final on Friday at Madison Square Garden. The Panthers vs Rangers Game 2 odds remain tight as ever with the visitors slightly favored at -115.
Florida smothered New York in a 3-0 win in Game 1, keyed by two points apiece from Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe. Tkachuk’s first-period goal was the ultimate game-winner, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves for his second career Stanley Cup playoff shutout, helping the Panthers take a 1-0 edge in the best-of-seven series.
The Rangers were shut out for the first time all season. They lost for the third time in their past four games and for the second time at home in the playoffs. Igor Shesterkin made 24 saves in the defeat.
With the series set to move to Sunrise, Florida in Game 3, this is a crucial game for both. Here are the odds and breakdown for the Panthers vs Rangers Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final.
Panthers vs Rangers 
Records: Florida Panthers (61-27-6), New York Rangers (63-26-4)
Day/Time:
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Streaming: ESPN, ESPN+
Kings of the Road
Florida continued its trend of expertly played road games, dominating the high-octane Rangers for its fourth straight road win and fifth win in six away games this postseason.
Thus, the Panthers will again be a slight favorite in Game 2, going off at about -115 moneyline odds, the same as they were in Game 1.
If you look at the NHL playoff standings, you’ll see home ice has not been an advantage. Road teams are 39-31. After finishing tied for the most regular-season road wins (26), Florida has dominated in road games by limiting opposing teams to 23.7 shots and 2.33 goals-against per road game.
If New York goes down 0-2, it’d be a death sentence, especially since the Panthers have now won five straight Eastern Conference Final games in a row dating back to last year. Teams that have lost the first two games have won just 13.7% of all best-of-seven series, and clubs that drop the first two at home are just 22-87 (20.2%).
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Even though it ended 3-0, Game 1 effectively came down to one shot.
Tkachuk’s first-period goal stood as the game-winner but also was the difference in the game for about 40 minutes until Verhaeghe put a shot in off Alexis Lafreniere late in the third. Sam Bennett added an empty-net goal at 18:41 of the third.
That meant both goalies were excellent in Game 1 as expected, and the trend of low-scoring games should only continue in Game 2.
Bobrovsky will get credit for the shutout, but he only faced six high-danger shots and had a 0.55 High-Danger Goals Saved Above Average (GSAA) in Game 1, since the Panthers were super-stout in front of him. But Bobrovsky still stopped everything that came at him, which means he was a little bit better than Shesterkin.
The Rangers were perceived to have the goaltending advantage in this series since Shesterkin has lugged New York to the conference final for the second time in three seasons and because Bobrovsky has battled bouts of inconsistency through his 14-season NHL career.
But it’s easy to forget that Bobrovsky is a finalist for the Vezina Trophy. He has already won it twice. Bobrovsky had a 0.92 GSAA in all situations in Game 1, superior to Shesterkin’s minus-0.92, and Bobrovsky is now 21-5 against Eastern Conference opponents in the playoffs over the past two seasons.
Though good goaltending is integral this time of the year, the Rangers rely on Shesterkin more than the Panthers do Bobrovsky. If Florida gets superior goaltending, this could be a short series.
Power Outage
Those who follow playoff NHL stats will know the Rangers’ power play (PP) has been a major factor in getting them to the conference final. New York has the third-best power play among postseason teams, firing at about 30%.
But the Panthers held New York’s power play in check in the most effective way: staying out of the penalty box. They took just two penalties in Game 1, one of which was a bench minor for too many men on the ice, but killed off both PKs.
The Panthers are killing penalties at an 86.2% clip in the postseason, the third-best mark behind the Rangers and Oilers. It doesn’t help either that the Rangers’ PP is quietly struggling. They’ve scored just one goal in their past 12 chances over five games.
The Panthers want to keep these games played at 5-on-5. They have been one of the NHL’s best teams at even strength since coach Paul Maurice took over. But they have a superb power play, especially on the road since they have scored at a 30% clip in the postseason.
Still, the Rangers held the Panthers off the board with the man advantage, stymieing Florida on its three power-play chances.
Penalties are called less frequently this time of the year since officials are loathe to “decide games” in the postseason. The way these teams kill penalties, any goals on the power play will feel almost like two.
Prediction
If you track NHL results, you’ll know the Panthers won both road games against Carolina. This led to a sweep.
It’s hard to believe this series will be over in fewer than six games. Look for Igor Shesterkin to steal one.
Rangers 2, Panthers 1
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