It’s Go Time!

Eastern Conference Finals, Game 1

New York Rangers vs Florida Panthers

8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC

It’s Game 1 of the much-anticipated Eastern Conference Finals between the Florida Panthers and my beloved New York Rangers. In this battle between two certified juggernauts, only one will get the chance to compete for the Stanley Cup. This is familiar territory for the Panthers, who won the East just a year ago before falling two wins short of hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup. For us Rangers fans, the story is different—we’re vying for our first Cup Final appearance in nearly ten years. This series is appointment television, so clear your schedule.

We kick off this series at home, and you can bet Madison Square Garden will be rocking. Both teams have been extremely dominant in these playoffs, showcasing excellent depth and the perfect mix of skill and grit. Expect some fireworks in this series opener.

I believe we’ll take Game 1. In round 2, we faced a much stronger team than the Panthers did, taking down an elite Carolina Hurricanes team in six games. We’ve had slightly more rest than Florida and will have our incredible home crowd behind us. We’ve got five players posting over a point per game, and that doesn’t even include one of the NHL’s best defensemen, Adam Fox, whom I hope can find his game in this round. Our goaltender, Igor Shesterkin, has been arguably the best in these playoffs, boasting a .923 save percentage. This series will likely be an absolute dogfight the entire way through, but I think we’ll squeak out the first victory.

Both teams have shown exceptional defensive prowess, allowing 2.5 goals or fewer per game. This speaks volumes about their top-notch goaltending and fully committed systems. While goal scoring has been strong, I think the first game of this series will see a lower total. The ice will be a battlefield, with hits flying and shots being blocked. Every individual battle will be hard-fought. I don’t expect much open ice.

LET’S GO RANGERS!

Chris Kreider -- Mika Zibanejad -- Jack Roslovic

Artemi Panarin -- Vincent Trocheck -- Alexis Lafreniere

Filip Chytil -- Alex Wennberg -- Kaapo Kakko

Will Cuylle -- Barclay Goodrow -- Jimmy Vesey

Ryan Lindgren -- Adam Fox

K'Andre Miller -- Jacob Trouba

Erik Gustafsson -- Braden Schneider

Igor Shesterkin

Jonathan Quick

Scratched: Zac Jones, Chad Ruhwedel, Jonny Brodzinski, Adam Edstrom, Matt Rempe, Blake Wheeler

Injured: None