The New York Rangers will face their toughest challenge yet in the Eastern Conference Final against the Florida Panthers. The Panthers are coming off of a season where they reached the Stanley Cup Final while this year, Florida recorded 110 points en route to winning the Atlantic Division. Stan Fischler On Rangers Cup Chances What makes the Panthers so dangerous? “I think they have picked up some good confidence and experience in the last year and a half between making that run in the playoffs, making that run to the finals,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. “Certainly the year that they had winning the division, a tough division. There are lots of things they do well. They got a group that’s been around, have been there and done that. Confidence goes with that too. They are big, they are strong, they are physical…” The Panthers have firepower on the offensive side of the puck. Led by Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe, Florida has one of the most potent offenses in the entire NHL. This team not only has the ability to score goals at a high level, but plays with a physical edge that is really unmatched. Their chippy and ruthless style helps them in a tremendous way come playoff time, which is why the Panthers have been so successful over the past two seasons. Florida’s goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has also been a brick wall in net. Despite being 35-years-old, Bobrovsky is playing some of the best hockey of his career and is still a top-tier goalie that no team wants to face in the playoffs. There are some glaring similarities between the Panthers and New York’s last opponent the Carolina Hurricanes, but also a few differences. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btPQGiTTj_s[/embed] “Carolina is a lot like that as well,” Laviolette said. “They play a fast, physical and aggressive game. They are a little bit different in the way they both play the game, but there are some similarities.” The Rangers are going to have their hands full in this series, but it’s nothing the Blueshirts can’t handle.
