NHL Playoffs: Panthers Beat Rangers to Reach Second Straight Stanley Cup Final

The Florida Panthers are back in the Stanley Cup Final hoping for a different outcome this time.

A year after losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2023 Finals, the Panthers defeated the New York Rangers 2-1 to eliminate the Presidents’ Trophy winners in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals.

They await the winner of the Western Conference finals between the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers, with Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final scheduled for Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET (ABC, ESPN+) in either Florida or Dallas. The Oilers currently lead the Stars 3-2, with a chance to close out the series on Sunday.

Sam Bennett put the Panthers on the scoreboard first, turning a mistake by Rangers defender Jacob Trouba into a mismatch with Evan Rodrigues, who provided the assist.

It later turned out that the puck only entered the goal by a few inches.

Halfway through the third period Vladimir Tarasenko followed, assisted by Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen.

The Panthers ultimately outscored the Rangers 34-22 and had more meaningful scoring chances, but the Rangers had chances too. It’s just that the threat was often over after one shot, with the Panthers consistently winning loose puck battles and avoiding second-chance shots.

The Rangers pulled goalie Igor Shesterkin with just over two minutes left and eventually found the net on a snipe from Artemi Panariin with 1:40 left. That was all they got, however, and they left Amerant Bank Arena a few minutes later in celebration.

Panthers back in Stanley Cup final

The Panthers are in the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight season and the third time in franchise history. After losing to the Golden Knights last year, Florida rebounded and improved with 10 wins and 18 points to capture the Atlantic Division title.

After eliminating their in-state rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, in five games in the first round, the Panthers then needed six games to eliminate both the Boston Bruins and Rangers.

A balanced attack has pulled the Panthers within four wins of the franchise’s first Stanley Cup title. It wasn’t just the star players, such as Matthew Tkachuk (19 points), Aleksander Barkov (17 points), Sam Reinhart (eight goals) and Carter Verhaeghe (nine goals) who produced. Bennett (six goals) and Lundell (12 points) have contributed to the attack, while Gustav Forsling (four goals) and Brandon Montour (nine points) have been vital from the blue line.

Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky has one shutout and is 7-3 in one-goal games this postseason. He hasn’t outscored Shesterkin or Stars goalie Jake Oettinger, but he’s been solid enough and has gotten plenty of support from the offense.

They’re also not afraid to play physical, leading all playoff teams in penalty minutes (205) and misconduct (eight).

What will the Rangers do now?

This is the second time in three seasons that the Rangers have been eliminated from the Eastern Conference Final. General manager Chris Drury has done everything he can to push the team into contender status. They won the Presidents’ Trophy this season with the best regular-season record, but like the 10 teams that won the award before them, their offseason will begin without achieving their ultimate goal.

What kind of work does Drury have to do this summer? Trade deadline acquisitions Alexander Wennberg and Jack Roslovic are among the team’s unrestricted free agents, as is veteran winger Blake Wheeler, who missed most of the second half of the regular season and the first two playoff rounds after suffering a serious leg injury in February.

Heart and soul defenseman Ryan Lindgren, young defenseman Braden Schneider and 2019 No. 2 overall pick Kaapo Kakko are set for restricted free agency. Lindgren and Kakko have arbitration rights.

There’s also the looming extension for Shesterkin, whose contract expires after next season. The 28-year-old Russian has provided stability in net following Henrik Lundqvist’s departure from the franchise. And even with a rising salary cap, the term and dollar amount he could pursue could hinder other areas that may need to be maintained or improved.

The Rangers currently have just over $10 million in salary cap space, with an estimated cap hit of $87.7 million for 2024-25, according to Cap Friendly.

Rangers fans know the team will spend money, but some of their offensive leaders are creeping toward the mid-30s. Their window is still open, so it’s now a matter of what moves Drury can make that will determine how long they can remain Cup contenders.