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Published May 26, 2024 at 2:07 am ET
SUNRISE, Fla. – The Rangers found what they needed at five-on-five Friday night to defeat the Panthers and tie the Eastern Conference final 1-1 before heading south.
But they have yet to gain traction on the power play in six tries in the series, a necessity if they want to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.
The power play carried the Rangers through the first two rounds of the playoffs, when they went a collective 35-11 (31.4 percent) against Washington and Carolina.
Chris Kreider argues with a referee during the third period of the Rangers’ Game 2 victory over the Panthers at the Garden. fake images
However, an 0-for-4 performance on Friday that included 1:25 at four-on-three was cause for concern.
“They come with the four boys. It’s tough,” said defenseman Erik Gustafsson, who occasionally filled in for Adam Fox on the top unit. “We have to make quick plays, otherwise it won’t be pretty. Putting the puck in the net isn’t a bad option, even if it’s just a wrist shot from the blue line or the corner or whatever. We have one of the best guys in the network (Chris Kreider).
“When they’re controlling so much, I think we have to put a little more pucks in the net. “I think the shoots might be a little better.”
The Rangers had opportunities in Game 2, spending 7:14 total on the power play, including the four-on-three.
However, according to Natural Stat Trick, they only had one high-danger opportunity at 5:49 in Game 2, the same number they recorded in Game 1.
“We’re playing a team that’s been really good and aggressive,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “We’re looking at it and trying to make little adjustments, (trying) to make things a little sharper, a little sharper and make some adjustments. And we will reach out to the guys and give them that information.”
Last round, the Rangers went three straight games without scoring on the power play before making adjustments in time for Kreider to tie Game 6 at five-on-four.
Similar adjustments could be needed this time for the Rangers to get things going.
The Rangers have never played a playoff game at Amerant Bank Arena.
The last time these teams met in the postseason in the first round in 1997, they split the first two games at Miami Arena before Esa Tikkanen won the series for the Rangers with an overtime goal in Game 5 in the same place.
Barclay Goodrow celebrates the winning goal in overtime Friday night at the Garden. New York Post: Charles Wenzelberg
Barclay Goodrow’s overtime winner snapped Sergei Bobrovsky’s 12-game overtime winning streak and the Panthers’ 11-game overtime winning streak.
Bobrovsky is tied with Patrick Roy for the longest overtime winning streak by a goaltender in playoff history.
Neither team held practices Saturday as both traveled to Florida.
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