Hockey is a team game but the individual personalities eventually determine the winners. Stan Fischler On Rangers Cup Chances In the upcoming Rangers-Panthers series starting on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, the following personality battles are worth examining: 1. IGOR SHESTERKIN VS. SERGEI BOBROVSKY: The only real difference between these two very competent puck-stoppers is age. Bob is six years older than Iggy and that could eventually be a factor down the line. Should the series extend to six or seven games, the elder statesman could be the one who tires first. Otherwise, their numbers this season and in the playoffs are too close to make a difference, except for one thing: Shesterkin has faced far more shots over the past couple of games than Bobrovsky but the long rest between series should negate that as a factor. (Winner: By a hair, Shesterkin.) 2. ADAM FOX VS. AARON EKBLAD: Here we have two of the best defensemen in the NHL colliding head-to-head. Fox's uncharacteristic average play over the Canes run seriously has raised questions about his health. However there have been no official comments from the Rangers side so we'll have to leave it at that. But based on what we've seen so far, the Floridian gets the nod. 3. ALEKSANDER BARKOV VS. MIKA ZIBANEJAD: With plenty of help from Mathew Tkachuk, Barkov has been the key to the Panthers attack. What's more, he’s occupied that lofty role even before "Chuk" arrived to help. The likes of Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett have been willing cohorts but Captain Al is in a class by himself. The same could be said for Magical Mika whose skill set got better once the postseason began. Like Barkov, Mika has a mighty supporting cast which, in my opinion, has helped give him a very slight edge over Barkov. 4. PETER LAVIOLETTE VS. PAUL MAURICE: One reason why so many critics figure this to be a long-running series has to do with the opposing coaches. While Maurice's career seems to date back to prehistoric times, Lavvy has been around a few decades himself. Unlike the histrionic John Tortorella or the Close-But-No-Cigar Rod Brind'Amour, Peter and Paul remind me of the line "Ike And Mike They Look Alike." Maurice's job of orchestrating his underdog Panthers to the 2023 Cup Final was beyond remarkable. No less surprising was the manner in which Lavvy couldn't even get the Capitals into the playoffs last season. I give the edge to Maurice. 5. TOUGHNESS: Sam Bennett, Ryan Lomberg, Matthew Tkachuk are just a few Panther toughies who have adapted the notorious Conn Smythe line, "If You Can't Beat 'Em In The Alley, You Can't Beat 'Em On The Ice" It most recently worked in the Boston series when the Bruins ice cops were effectively neutralized – especially Brad Marchand. The Rangers have an equal number of grit guys as well as the highly-publicized Matt Rempe. So far Peter Laviolette has kept Rempe's ice time to average of about six minutes a game but that could go up depending on the rough-house level of the series. Result: Draw
