Five months ago, the New York Rangers scored 12 goals against the Florida Panthers but ultimately lost in six games during the Eastern Conference finals.
As the new season begins with high expectations, the Rangers are finding it easier to score goals consistently. They look to continue their offensive success on Thursday night when they face the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers.
In the first two playoff rounds against the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes, New York netted 35 goals over 10 games but struggled against Florida’s defense and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, being shut out in the series opener and managing just five goals in the final three games after taking a two games to one lead.
Despite not making significant changes to a roster that won the President’s Trophy and ranked seventh in goals last season, the Rangers have started strong at 5-0-1. They have scored 31 goals, with 24 coming at even strength.
New York is experiencing its longest point streak to begin a season in franchise history and is the first team to score 31 goals through the first six games since the 1993-94 Los Angeles Kings and New Jersey Devils.
The Rangers arrive home on a four-game winning streak following an overtime loss to the Utah Hockey Club on October 12. During their recent road trip, they outscored the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Montreal Canadiens 16-5.
Their most recent impressive performance was a 7-2 victory in Montreal on Tuesday, where they netted four goals within the first 11:05. Defenseman Ryan Lindgren made his season debut after recovering from an upper-body injury. Six players found the net, with Filip Chytil scoring twice and 12 players contributing at least one point. Kaapo Kakko added a goal and two assists, while Braden Schneider, Jonny Brodzinski, Reilly Smith, and Mika Zibanejad also tallied. Artemi Panarin assisted and has amassed 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in the first six games.
“We got contributions from all our lines right from the start,” said New York coach Peter Laviolette, calling it “maybe our best team win of the year.” He praised the consistency of all lines.
Meanwhile, the defending champions embark on a road trip that will include two games against the Dallas Stars in Finland next week. Florida has scored 24 goals so far but has also been limited to two goals or fewer in four games.
Their latest setback was a 5-1 defeat against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, with players and coach Paul Maurice expressing dissatisfaction with their effort. After allowing two goals in 22 seconds in the first period and two in 2:07 in the second, Florida struggled even though it allowed just 22 shots against, marking the fifth game this season under 30 shots.
“There’s an emotional level necessary to play our style or to perform well in the NHL, and we didn’t reach it,” Maurice commented. “When your best players don’t show up, that falls on the coach… We weren’t where we needed to be.”
