With a gap of a month between posts, it should be obvious that the Rangers lost to the Panthers. I was going to write a post after the game 6 loss but felt too dejected to do it. Then, it was almost a week before the final round started, and I figured I’d just wait until the end to write my thoughts.
After winning their second game, the Rangers couldn’t get any traction against Florida. It was like they were skating uphill the entire series.
The Panther’s defensive capabilities were simply too much. Faster to the puck, able to see plays develop and interfere to stop them before any offensive pressure could start, it was like Florida had an extra man on the ice. The Rangers were never able to get positioning in the slot, as they were more or less shoved to the outside at every chance. Playing the Panthers’ way meant that they were able to keep control, making their opponent constantly run around while they pivoted and pushed into place. Once the Rangers got tired, the Panthers would score and then rely on the defense to sit on the lead.
Shesterkin did everything he could to keep his team in the lead, but with Panarin and Zibanejad being smothered and Kreider not able to get anything going, the skill offense didn’t contribute. Goodrow and Lafreniere carrying the team for another two wins was never going to happen. All season, the Rangers were a team of opportunity; making a mistake would often mean the Rangers would pounce and make things happen. In the games they won against Florida, the Panthers had made mistakes. They’re so aggressive that they can be exposed in forcing them to turnover for a breakaway, one of Bobrovsky’s few weaknesses. When they don’t make mistakes, the Panthers are the best team in the league.
All of those trends continued in the Finals with the Edmonton Oilers. The Panthers shut out the Oilers 3-0 in the first game, just like they did to the Rangers. Edmonton played better in the next two games but lost those as well. The puck never bounced their way, Florida was faster, their defense nearly flawless, and they kept McDavid, arguably the best player in the league, bottled up so he couldn’t do anything.
And then the fourth game played out. Most thought a sweep was inevitable. The Oilers had made changes though. New strategies that blew the game wide open. 8-1 Oilers. It was unreal. For the first time, it looked like the Panthers didn’t know what was happening around them. The Oilers were flying around, easily challenging or beating the Panthers to the puck. Great passes, pulling the Panthers out of position, intercepting passes that left Bobrovsky all alone on breakaways. The Oilers special teams came alive. In the next game, the score was much closer, but the Oilers were in control for most of the game. Game 6, another clinic by the Oilers. It looked like for possibly the 5th time in the history of the NHL, the Oilers would be the team to reverse sweep the final series to win the Stanley Cup.
The Panthers returned to form in Game 7, winning 2-1. Everything they did wrong in the last 3 games, stopped. Except for the mistake that led to the Oilers only goal on a breakaway (which was scored on the next play after the Panthers took the 1-0 lead.
It turned out to be the best Stanley Cup Final in many years, and the best team in the league got the much deserved win. This marks the 4th team in 7 seasons to win their franchise’s first Championship.
It was a great and fun to watch season for the Rangers though. They set a bunch of records, finished the season first in the league, went undefeated against the Devils, and embarrassed the Capitals in the Playoffs on their way to going deeper into the postseason. Making it to Round 3 while denying Carolina another chance at the Cup is way better than losing to the Devils in Round 1. You gotta take your wins when they happen. The disappointment is still palpable in losing to Florida the way they did, but next season is a chance to address the team’s deficits for another great run for the Cup next season.
Tomorrow is the NHL draft in Las Vegas where the next class of future hockey stars will be called up. It’s not expected for the Rangers to make any major moves here, but free agency starts on Monday and I think we can expect some aggressive changes to the roster to happen in the next few weeks.
Pre-season starts on September 22. With the Playoffs taking two full months to complete, that’s less than three months from now. There is no rest for the weary.