Here is why the Rangers lost Game 1 through the eyes of The Maven.
The Rangers Stanley Cup Express has temporarily been derailed.
TEMPORARILY – since it easily could be back on track as soon as tomorrow.
Losing 3-0 to Florida last night at The Garden is not nearly as horrid as it sounds – or even looked – since we're talking about what essentially was a 1-0 decision.
So we discount that empty-netter at the end and we forgive Alexis Lafrenière for allowing his stick to redirect the late third period goal for a 2-0 deficit. (It was Igor Shesterkin's boo-boo for losing the puck behind the net. Huge mistake.)
But a loss is a loss and credit to The Cat's Matthew Tkachuk for scoring the game-winner in the first frame; and kudos to goalie Sergei Bobrovsky's hermetically sealed net from start to finish.
"The Panthers played a near-perfect game," said former NHLer Ray Ferraro, now regarded as the best analyst on television.
By contrast, everything that possibly could go wrong from the Rangers side was right out of Murphy's Law where blundering ruled.
* GOALTENDING: Bob stopped two breakaways and, overall, clearly beat Shesty. Plus, Iggy cost his team late in the (1-0) third period with an errant excursion for the puck only to lose it to Carter Verhaeghe. The Floridian's pass to Tkachuk caromed off Al Lafreniere's stick. Bingo! Two-zip!
* DEFENSE: Where were the "Offensemen" on the D? Yoo-hoo Adam Fox and Company; where were you?
* OFFENSE: No Breadman. No Magic from Mika nor the rest of "Murderer's Row." What gives with only a dozen shots over two periods. And one sequence with one shot over 16 minutes. Were they kidding?
* POWER PLAY: The Blueshirts got a gift – puck over glass penalty – late in the third. It was the perfect time for Hat Trick Chris Kreider to deliver; or maybe Foxy. This could have tied the game. "NADA!"
* KEY TO THE LOSS: The Rangers couldn't penetrate Florida's relentless forechecking. Period!
As for the rationales, try these on for size:
Peter Laviolette: "We could have executed better and that includes getting out of our own zone. Put it this way, it was not the best version of ourselves. There's more for us to give."
Chris Kreider: "We had 'looks' and breakaways but our whole game has to be better. We didn't do enough to give ourselves chances or to even get to the net."
Jacob Trouba: "The Panthers played a smart game and didn't turn over many pucks. Now we have to do the same thing. Hey, it's only one game; we'll come back better tomorrow."
But the fact of the matter is that no Ranger was in a class with Tkachuk. He not only scored, he hit hard and cleanly. He played a game for Florida that reminded some viewers of Mark Messier in 1994.
"Chucky was awesome," said Verhaeghe. "His goal took the wind right out of their sails."
The Rangers had better forget about the sails; they've got to get that Stanley Cup express train back on track.
"We have better in us," concluded Mika Zibanejad. "There's room for us to raise our game."
Advice from The Maven: "A good time to start will be tomorrow night at The Garden." Or else!