The Rangers were were bullied physically by the Panthers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final, leading to a brutal 3-0 loss.
The New York Rangers were dominated in all aspects through Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final as the Florida Panthers ran away with a decisive 3-0 victory at Madison Square Garden.
Energy was high with the Rangers playing in front of their home crowd to start the conference finals, but that excitement quickly turned into frustration.
From the opening faceoff, the Panthers imposed their will on New York.
Florida played with a physical edge that the Rangers just couldn’t handle. In New York’s defensive zone, the Panthers delivered hard-hitting checks that led to multiple turnovers and scoring chances for Florida.
Matthew Tkachuk scored a goal late in the first period and after 20 minutes of play, the Panthers led 1-0.
While the score remained 1-0 for the majority of the contest, the score didn’t accurately depict the Rangers underwhelming performance.
The Panthers controlled possession time over the Rangers, mainly due to their overwhelming physical presence. New York almost looked like a team that didn’t want to battle or match the physicality that Florida brought to the table, clearly shown in their play.
Meanwhile offensively, the Rangers struggled to get past Florida’s smothering defense. They were unable to generate consistent offense, specifically through the first 40 minutes of the game.
When the Rangers did get their high quality chances, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky shut them down time and time again, even raising his play above the great Igor Shesterkin who didn’t have a bad performance by any means.
Down 1-0 late in the third period, Alexis Lafrenière accidentally tipped the puck into his own net, which essentially iced the game and was a perfect representation of the Rangers’ Game 1 debacle.
P.K. Subban said it perfectly during ESPN’s intermission report that the Panthers looked like a team that’s been to the Stanley Cup Final while the Rangers did not.
The Panthers just imposed their will on the Rangers physically, allowing Florida to dictate the pace of play and dominate at both ends of the ice.
"I think we can play better. I don't think that was the best version of ourselves," Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. "I think there's more for us to give, and more for us to do out there."
The Rangers will have a lot of soul-searching to do before Game 2 on Friday night in what will be a must-win situation.