So here the Rangers are again, two years later, back in the Eastern Conference Final playing a menacing team from Florida.
The circumstances and optics, however, could not be any different.
Sure, they’re still sporting an underdog storyline against the Panthers, a club that has earned the right to be the favorite as the reigning Stanley Cup runner-up who then followed it with a strong regular season.
But the Blueshirts didn’t overachieve to get to this round like they did in 2022, when they lost in six games to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Rangers, who are the only team to have lost just twice this postseason, were expected to be here as this year’s Presidents’ Trophy winners.
The Rangers may have finished with the best record, but the Panthers and their style of play still seemed to scare the rest of the league more. Understandably so, considering the fact they are a deadly combination of skilled, defensively responsible and mean.
It’ll be a matter of who can get to and establish their game first. It’ll come down to who can play to their strengths better.
The Post’s Mollie Walker takes a look at how the teams match up:
This is a tough category to rule in definitive favor of either team, considering that when both goalies are at the top of their games, they’re some of the most revered players in the NHL.
It’s important to note the Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin has been more consistently on point this postseason than the Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky.
Shesterkin is rocking a second-ranked .923 save percentage through 10 games, while Bobrovsky is sitting at .902 through 11 games.
Bobrovsky did post better numbers during the regular season, with a fourth-ranked .915 save percentage in comparison to Shesterkin’s .913. Bobrovsky’s six shutouts were also tied with three other goalies for the most in the league.
Edge: Even
Defense
The Panthers rode a defense-first mindset this season and it has carried over into the playoffs, where they have only given up more than two goals in a game three times.
In addition to finishing the regular season tied with the Jets for the lowest goals-against average per game (2.41) and with the third-lowest average shots against per game (27.8), the Panthers also went 14 straight games without giving up more than two goals from late January into late February.
Brandon Montour has led Panthers defensemen with eight points alongside one-time Ranger Niko Mikkola, a big-bodied blueliner who will leave you with bruises. Aaron Ekblad is coming off his second straight 50-point season and forges a tough top pair with Gustav Forsling.
The Rangers have reverted to the D pairings they utilized for a majority of the season, with Jacob Trouba next to K’Andre Miller and Braden Schneider alongside Erik Gustafsson.
Ryan Lindgren and Adam Fox have remained intact and consistently reliable.
Edge: Panthers
Forwards
The Panthers have an elite top line that features another one-time Ranger in Vladimir Tarasenko, who has teamed up with Selke-winner Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart, who is coming off a career-best 94-point season. Matthew Tkachuk, leading his team with 14 points this postseason, will make you pay in more ways than one.
But there has been no team with as much star power as the Rangers have had up front, especially considering how their top players have shown up in force this postseason. Artemi Panarin leads the NHL with four game-winning goals, while Alexis Lafreniere continues his breakout season and Vincent Trocheck does it all and leads the team — along with Mika Zibanejad — with 14 points.
Chris Kreider single-handedly pushed the club over the second-round finish line with a natural hat trick in the third period of Game 6 against the Hurricanes, giving the longest-tenured Ranger a team-leading seven goals this postseason.
Edge: Rangers
Special teams
The Rangers’ power play has been one of their X factors in these playoffs, ranking third in the NHL at 31.4 percent, while Florida is sitting at 22 percent.
Aside from a few instances against the Hurricanes, the Blueshirts’ power play has been consistently effective and productive.
While the penalty-kill numbers are little more evenly balanced, with the Rangers ranked second at 89.5 and the Panthers ranked third at 86.1, the edge is still in the Blueshirts’ favor because of their undeniable offensive capabilities despite playing shorthanded.
The Rangers’ four shorthanded goals lead the NHL, while the Panthers have posted two.
Edge: Rangers
Coaching
Paul Maurice led the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final in his first season at the helm and the 57-year-old has the team four wins away from doing it again the very next year.
That alone is an accomplishment in itself, but also a testament to his impact on Florida and its recent success.
There’s also no disputing the influence Peter Laviolette has had on the Rangers, their structure and their mindset in his first season behind their bench.
Maurice is still looking for his first Stanley Cup and Laviolette is looking for his second, but both have their respective teams playing the way they want them to in order to accomplish said goals.
Edge: Even
The Post’s predictions
Larry Brooks
The Blueshirts’ mentality has been among the team’s greatest assets throughout, never more so than against Carolina. Florida is fast but the Rangers are at their best when they are setting an uptempo pace. This is best-on-best. No one is backing down.
Rangers in 6.
Mark Cannizzaro
As stressful as the Carolina series was, this one will be even more taxing. Look for Igor Shesterkin and Rangers’ power play to be the difference. Rangers do what Knicks couldn’t and win Game 7 at the Garden.
Rangers in 7
Ethan Sears
The Panthers represent the toughest test yet for the Rangers and this should be a closely fought series. But between depth, special teams and goaltending, the Rangers should have a slight edge.
Rangers in 7
Mollie Walker
The Panthers were widely considered to be the team to beat in the East this season and the Rangers will have their work cut out for them if they hope to do so. If the Blueshirts can continue on their ascent to peaking at the right time, however, they can beat any team they want to.
Rangers in 7
