The Panthers showed their championship pedigree against the Rangers on Thursday night.
The difference between the Rangers and Panthers can be summed up in two words.
Florida=CHAMPS! New York=CHUMPS!! The Blueshirts met a genuine enemy last night at The Garden.
The best thing you could say about the Rangers is rather simple. It wasn't pretty to some 19,000 patrons funding ridiculous bucks for millionaire players who seemed involved in a 60-minute seance.
In fact it was pretty darn disgusting when you think about it as a statement game. The theme was there for everyone – show your home fans that you're more than a (yawn) Presidents' Trophy aspirant.
One by one, The Maven herewith offers a brief Looney Tune version of the spectacle: A dozen or so local skaters auditioning for the Elmer Fudd role.
1. GOALTENDING: The avaricious netminder Igor Shesterkin thinks he should be the highest-paid goalie in the league. NAY! A thousand times, NAY! Outplaying Iggy as he did in the playoffs, Sergei Bobrovsky IS THE BEST and proved it at The World's Most Famous Arena. Shesty couldn't cut it on the big stage; Bobby showed how.
2. COACHING: Paul Maurice got his Panthers UP for the game and they performed as if they were in the third round of the playoffs. Peter Laviolette got his club up to exhibition level and that's where they stayed. With a six-on-four advantage late in the third, the Blueshirts wound up playing hopscotch – and not winning hockey. You get no points for that.
3. PLAYERS: Incredibly, not a single Rangers made it to the post-game "Three-Star Selection." Only Florida guys. "It wasn't like we played our first six games," was Adam Fox's bit of brilliance. "Yeah," said Florida reporter, Alan Greenberg, "the Rangers had previously feasted on inferior competition." At least they can devour the visiting Ducks tomorrow night on Seventh Avenue.
4. STRATEGY: The Champs beat the Chumps exactly the way they did in the playoffs. They checked the Rangers tight and made breakouts difficult. "The first two Florida goals," added Greenberg, "were caused by forced giveaways." The Cats play tough hockey. Blueshirt bodychecker Jacob Trouba was a minus-1. (Hello, Jake!)
5. DECEPTIVE STORIES: Of course the players read the media – print and electronic – and they got to believe that this never-win-the-Cup group is the greatest thing since the autogyro. Ah, but until I'm told differently, the Floridians are the greatest thing since the helicopter.
So, here are The Maven's closing words of wisdom. Don't tell me "It's just one game." Don't tell me that the Rangers have a good shot at The President's Trophy.
This game was a litmus test to determine how New York would compete against superior competition. And if you still don't know, check Lavvy's lavish quotes elsewhere. Or, in six words the loss was for 19,000 eager witnesses – a gratuitous kick in the pants!