Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Divisional Round
The Florida Panthers face the New York Rangers with both teams looking to build off of promising seasons. The Panthers have a 23-20-5 record and with seven wins in the last 10 games have leaped to the middle of the Atlantic Division. The Rangers have a 25-14-7 record and are in third place in the Metropolitan Division. Both teams are looking to improve in the Eastern Conference and the upcoming game should be a great one as a result.
The Panthers are having a promising season with their offense stepping up and scoring 3.38 goals per game with 11 goals in the last two games. Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov have scored 36 goals and 63 assists to lead the top line but the rest of the offense has also stepped up. Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Bennett, and Sam Reinhart have combined for 48 goals and 56 assists while defensemen Brandon Montour and Gustav Forsling have added 15 goals and 54 assists from the point to open up the offense.
The offense has been great but the defense has struggled, allowing 3.38 goals per game. Gustav Forsling and Josh Mahura have combined for 5.0 defensive point shares but the rest of the unit has struggled, allowing opponents to find open shots on the net at will. Additionally, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has struggled with a .897 save percentage and a 3.24 goals-against average on 875 shots.