The scoresheet said Florida 1, New York 0 late in the third period. Close game, right? Well, if you were on the ESPN app, maybe. But no one who watched the game live could, if they were being honest, say it was close. Apart from a brief flurry with just over seven minutes left in the game, in which Alexis Lafreniere hit the post, the Panthers played, for all intents and purposes, a flawless road game.
Quite frankly, I was taken aback by the posts I saw on Twitter. The normally critical fanbase was bending over backwards to rationalize what happened at MSG last night. "It's just one game.""They were one play away from tying the score." "No need to panic." "They were rusty." "The Panthers aren't really that good."
I agree with most of the above statements. Yes, it is only one game. Even the '94 team lost game one against the New Jersey Devils in the Conference Finals and game one against the Vancouver Canucks in the Cup Finals before winning in seven. It still takes four games to win a series. Yes, despite being outplayed, they were one play away from tying the score. Yes, I agree, there's no need to panic; Laviolette and his coaching staff will make adjustments. And, finally, they did look rusty, or perhaps tentative would be a better word; that won't be the case in game two, hopefully.
But let's get something straight right now. The Panthers really are this good. They put on a clinic last night. They pinned the Rangers in their own end most of the game and dictated the play. I counted on one hand the number of times the Blueshirts had a clean exit into the neutral zone that wasn't intercepted by the Panthers and dumped back in. The only reason it was still 1-0 halfway through the third period was because Igor Shesterkin made several key saves, especially in the second period where the Rangers went almost 14 minutes without a shot on goal. The normally raucous Garden crowd sounded more like they were attending a funeral than a playoff game, that's how quiet it was.
Consider the following: since losing game one of their last series against the Boston Bruins 5-1, the Panthers have not given up more than two goals per game once. Check out these scores: 6-1 Panthers, 6-2 Panthers, 3-2 Panthers, 2-1 Bruins, 2-1 Panthers and 3-0 Panthers. And lest you think this was all Sergei Bobrovsky's doing, the players in front of him did most of the heavy lifting. The shots on goal against were 15, 17, 18, 28, 23 and 23 respectively. Even Freddie Andersen couldn't have blown those games, though I suspect he would've tried.
This isn't the Carolina Hurricanes the Rangers are playing here. This is the toughest opponent they have faced, quite possibly in years. The Panthers have size and depth throughout their lineup; they can defend as well as any team in the NHL; and they have a world-class goalie in net just in case they make a mistake. Beating them will require more than just an adjustment or two.
The fact is, despite the outcome, New York didn't play all that badly last night. This wasn't a repeat performance of game five against the Canes in which the Rangers managed only one high danger scoring chance. The Blueshirts actually showed up for this one; the Panthers were simply the better team from start to finish.
Which is why the Rangers, if they have any hope of winning this series, are going to have to go where they historically have resisted going: the middle of the ice. Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanajed must drive to the net when they have the puck. Pulling up in the offensive zone and forcing a cross-ice pass that has no chance of connecting with a teammate is only making the Panthers job easier. To advance in the postseason you need to go where angels fear to tread. Yes, they will get hit, and hit hard, if they do that. But that's part of the game.
Chris Kreider summed it up best: "Our whole entire game has to be a lot better. It wasn't there nearly enough tonight. It boils down to playing north-south hockey, getting pucks out, getting pucks in. That's the kind of hockey they played."
Bottom line: there needs to be a greater sense of urgency from everyone; a desire to do whatever it takes to win. The Panthers showed that desire last night; the Rangers must find it by game two or this will be a very short series.
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