Here are ten points from the Maven heading into the Rangers Eastern Conference Final matchup against the Panthers.
1. Jonny Brodzinski's solid effort on the fourth line with Jimmy Vesey and Barclay Goodrow in Game 6 vs. Carolina should win him a start in the opener next week.
2. No knock on Matt Rempe, but as we get closer to the Cup Final, Peter Laviolette figures to want a reliable grunt like Jonny B, who'll give him good, penalty-free minutes. Hence, The Remper must sit.
3. Vesey has been so effective in any role, you have to wonder why he's only really clicked as a Ranger and not a Devil or Maple Leaf.
4. The Rangers "resiliency" that we saw in the Carolina clincher reminded me of their comeback against the Islanders in the outdoor classic at MetLife Stadium. One minute they look dead and buried and in the next they wind up winners.
5. Cats coach Paul Maurice is great with his quotes. After beating the Bruins, he capsulized the series with this gem: "It was dirty on both sides. It was heavy. It was clean and brilliantly skilled." (Now you know!)
6. When you think about Game Six at Raleigh, it was weird. For two periods the Rangers played "not to lose" hockey and then in the final period it was "quick-strikes" and the series was over!
7. Public opinion suggests that the Chris Kreider banner on the MSG ceiling go up now; and not after he retires.
8. Here's Lavvy's view of his club's thinking before the third period of Game Six and trailing, 3-1: "We knew we could score two goals based on the confidence gained from the year that we had;"
9. When you think about it, Kreider really has to share Game 6 MVP honors with Igor Shesterkin. Iggy's late game save on Andrei Svechnikov was a five-star winner.
10. As Rangers foes go, I put Panthers left wing Carter Verhaeghe at the top of my underrated list. (Just wait and see.)