The Rangers won last night despite being outplayed, but a win is a win. Tonight they continue their trip through Florida with a date in Sunrise against the Panthers. The Panthers have been riddled by injuries all year, but are finally healthy now and in the thick of it for the final playoff spot.
The big thing for the Rangers will be to consistently apply offensive pressure. In the NHL, the best defense is a good offense, and a good offense controls the puck and applies pressure regularly. That begins with a forecheck and continues with a good cycle and getting numerous quality chances. It’s something they haven’t done consistently this month.
Panthers Systems
Tom Rowe is the new guy in Florida after Gerard Gallant was unceremoniously dumped at the curb. I have no insight into his systems, as this is his first NHL gig. More to come.
Panthers Lines
Jonathan Huberdeau-Alex Barkov-Jaromir Jagr
Jussi Jokinen-Nick Bjugstad-Reilly Smith
Thomas Vanek-Vincent Trochek-Jonathan Marchessault
Shawn Thornton-Derek MacKenzie-Colton Sceviour
Keith Yandle-Aaron Ekblad
Mark Pysyk-Alex Petrovic
Michael Matheson-Jason Demers
PP1: Jagr-Marchessault-Barkov-Huberdeau-Yandle
PP2: Smith-Trochek-Jokinen-Vanek-Ekblad
James Reimer gets the start
Rangers Lines
Chris Kreider-Derek Stepan–Mats Zuccarello
Pavel Buchnevich–Mika Zibanejad–Rick Nash
Jimmy “Hayes” Vesey–Kevin Hayes–JT Miller
Brandon Pirri–Oscar Lindberg–Tanner Glass
Ryan McDonagh–Brendan Smith
Marc Staal–Nick Holden
Brady Skjei–Steven Kampfer
PP1: Zibanejad-Buchnevich-Nash-Miller-McDonagh
PP2: Stepan-Miller-Kreider-Zuccarello-Holden
Henrik Lundqvist gets the start.
Injuries/Scratches: Jesper Fast (shoulder), Michael Grabner (hip) Kevin Klein (back), Dan Girardi (ankle), Adam Clendening (healthy), Matt Puempel (healthy)
Crazy Prediction: Glass doesn’t get into a fight.
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