Jim Rassol-USA TODAY SportsJim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports For the 30th consecutive season, the New York Rangers will not win the Stanley Cup. The Rangers lost Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final 2-1 on Saturday and were eliminated by the Florida Panthers, who will make their second consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final. It is the second time in three seasons the Rangers lost the conference final in six games, also doing so in 2022 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ultimate respect ? pic.twitter.com/zWcpvN91k4 — B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 2, 2024 But the Rangers didn’t go out with a whimp ..read more

Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY SportsNick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports You’ve got to hand it to New York Rangers coach Peter Laviolette, he maintained his sense of humor and displayed a little grace under pressure during the first period of the must-win Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Florida Panthers on Saturday. As Laviolette was being interviewed by ABC rinkside reporter Emily Kaplan during a play stoppage, a shirtless young fan was perfectly positioned behind the Rangers bench to steal the coach’s air time. The youngster was situated between Laviolette and Kaplan in the camera s ..read more

Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY SportsDennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports The Florida Panthers have had a winning lineup the past two games, so they’re not going to make any changes when the puck drops for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final at home against the New York Rangers on Saturday. The Panthers lead the best-of-7 series 3-2 and can finish off the Rangers with a victory Saturday. They’ve won two straight games since forwards Kyle Okposo and Steven Lorentz came into the lineup. So, for the third straight game, those fourth-line wingers will suit up instead of Nick Cousins and Ryan Lomberg ..read more

Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY SportsDaniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports With their season hanging in the balance and facing playoff elimination, the New York Rangers appear ready to make a tweak to their lineup for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Florida Panthers on Saturday. Jonny Brodzinski seems set to make his first appearance in this best-of-7 series that the Panthers lead 3-2 after consecutive wins, including 3-2 in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. Though the Rangers didn’t do line rushes at their morning skate, Brodzinski worked with the second power-play unit during ..read more

Sam Navarro-USA TODAY SportsSam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports The phrase “to make hay” is antiquated and somewhat nebulous. It’s used often in sports, referring to taking advantage of an opportunity. So, for example, the Florida Panthers, up 3-2 in the best-of-7 Eastern Conference Final, need to make hay Saturday in Game 6 at home to close out the New York Rangers and move on to the Stanley Cup Final. The phrase could also be used for the Rangers, who must make hay when on the power play or when they’re set up in the offensive zone creating good looks against Sergei Bobrovsky and Co. But there’s so ..read more

Sam Navarro-USA TODAY SportsSam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports The New York Rangers dream season could officially end in a nightmare as they return to Florida facing elimination against the Panthers. Down 3-2 heading in Game 6 on Saturday, it will take their absolute best to stay alive and force a Game 7 at the Garden on Monday. “We’ve said it multiple times: Winning the Stanley Cup is not supposed to be easy,” Vincent Trocheck said via NHL.com. “It’s these kind of moments that really form a team into a team that can become a championship team. So I think going into tomorrow, we just have to no ..read more

Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY SportsDennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports For so much of this season, there’ve been comparisons made between the current New York Rangers and the 1994 Blueshirts squad that won the Stanley Cup. If ever there was a time for the Rangers to copy those champions, now would be it. The Rangers trail the Florida Panthers 3-2 in the best-of-7 Eastern Conference Final, meaning that Game 6 on Saturday is their first must-win of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Win or their magical, record-setting season is over. Thirty years ago, those Rangers were in the same boat. They had lost Gam ..read more

Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY SportsDennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports The Florida Panthers have proven themselves a formidable foe, pushing the New York Rangers to the brink of elimination for the first time this postseason after a 3-2 win in a pivotal Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final on Thursday. One of the keys to their success has been the neutralization of New York’s elite power play, which has failed to make its mark on this series up to this point. Special teams have played a major role in the Rangers’ success, both in the regular season and throughout the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs ..read more

Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY SportsDennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports The New York Rangers are going to have to tighten things up in numerous areas if they plan on avoiding elimination and forcing a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Final against the Florida Panthers. One of those areas is defending the rush, which proved to be the deciding factor in their critical 3-2 loss in Game 5 that put the Rangers in a 3-2 series hold. It is a surprising area that seems to be hurting the Rangers against the Panthers, but one that they will need to fix quickly in order to avoid the end of their season. Two ..read more

Brad Penner-USA TODAY SportsBrad Penner-USA TODAY Sports You could tell the question pained Peter Laviolette to answer. That’s why it took the New York Rangers coach several seconds to formulate a response, one where he tried to straddle the fence about a decision Erik Gustafsson made at a key juncture of a crucial 3-2 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. Early in the second period, with the Rangers having just taken a 1-0 lead and on the power play, they had the opportunity to go on a 5-on-3 advantage. Former Blueshirts d ..read more