Rangers vs. Panthers: Head-to-head breakdown in rematch of conference finalists

Nearly five months after the New York Rangers were eliminated in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final by the Florida Panthers, the teams play for the first time since, Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.

The Rangers have revenge on their minds, but the Panthers have the Stanley Cup championship rings on their fingers. So, even a win Thursday won’t quite wipe away the bitter taste that remains in the Rangers mouths.

At 5-0-1, the Rangers have their best six-game start in franchise history. It continued with a dominating 7-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. They now have the best points percentage in the Eastern Conference (.917), and are second in the NHL behind the Winnipeg Jets (6-0-0).

The Panthers (4-3-1) have wobbled out of the gate, but still lead the Atlantic Division. They lost 5-1 to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday and begin a road trip Thursday that eventually winds up in Finland against the Dallas Stars in the 2024 NHL Global Series.

Though the Panthers haven’t been at their best, this will undoubtedly be the biggest test for the Rangers in the first month of the regular season.

So, lets see how the two teams stack up against one another so far this season.

New York Rangers vs. Florida Panthers: Head-to-head

Forwards

Rangers top 3:
Artemi Panarin: 6 goals, 7 assists, 13 points
Vincent Trocheck: 2 goals, 5 assists, 7 points
Alexis Lafreniere: 3 goals, 3 assists, 6 points
Total: 11 goals, 15 assists, 26 points

Panthers top 3:
Sam Reinhart: 5 goals, 7 assists, 12 points
Anton Lundell: 4 goals, 4 assists, 8 points
Sam Bennett: 5 goals, 3 assists, 8 points
Total: 14 goals, 14 assists, 28 points

These two teams each have incredible depth throughout their lineup, especially at the forward position. Artemi Panarin is an early Hart Trophy candidate and each of the Rangers four lines are firing on all cylinders, each contributing on the score sheet. Mika Zibanejad, Reilly Smith, and Will Cuylle each are tied with Lafreniere with six points, giving New York six players with at least six points through six games. Chris Kreider, Filip Chytil, and Kaapo Kakko, meanwhile, are right there with five apiece.

That Rangers depth really helped them close the gap on the Panthers this season, especially after Florida lost several bottom-six wingers in the offseason, including Vladimir Tarasenko, Kyle Okposo, Kevin Stenlund and Ryan Lomberg. It wasn’t always about points with their bottom-six forwards last season, but they were tone setters. The Rangers third line of Cuylle-Chytil-Kakko has done the same for New York this season, only with even more point production.

For the Panthers, their top three scorers are carrying the bulk of the offensive production, but don’t count out Matthew Tkachuk (three points) and Carter Verhaeghe (four points) from ramping up their production any day now. Florida misses its captain Aleksander Barkov, who’s likely to miss his seventh straight game Thursday with a lower-body injury.

Though the Panthers have the edge by two points in the top-3 matchup, the Rangers forward group has outscored them 64 points to 49, playing two fewer games.

Edge: New York Rangers

Defensemen

Rangers top 3
Adam Fox: 0 goals, 7 assists, 7 points, plus-5
Jacob Trouba: 0 goals, 4 assists, 4 points, plus-7
Braden Schneider: 2 goals, 1 assist, 3 points, plus-8
Total: 2 goals, 12 assists, 14 points, plus-21

Panthers top 3
Gustav Forsling: 2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points, minus-8
Aaron Ekblad: 0 goals, 3 assists, 3 points, plus-1
Niko Mikkola: 0 goals, 2 assists, 2 points, minus-5
Total: 2 goals, 7 assists, 9 points, minus-12

The stats speak for themselves here, especially in the plus/minus category. The Rangers defense has been stellar to start the season, and they just got Ryan Lindgren back from injury. Rookie standout Victor Mancini is making his case to stay with the team with a three-game point streak, and the new-look pairs have played exceptionally well.

Florida’s defense has played just okay to this point. They’ve surrendered five goals to the Wild and Buffalo Sabres in losses, and are severely hurting in goal differential since their wins have come by either one or two goals. They miss Brandon Montour and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who left as free agents this summer.

This isn’t just a defensemen things, but the Rangers have a plus-19 goal differential in six games, best in the League. The Panthers are minus-five in eight.

Edge: New York Rangers

Goalies

Igor Shesterkin: 4-0-1, .932 save percentage, 1.98 GAA, 1 shutout

Sergei Bobrovsky: 3-2-1, .875 save percentage, 3.47 GAA

Though Sergei Bobrovsky got the best of the Rangers in the playoffs last season, Igor Shesterkin was probably the best goalie in that conference final and has the edge in play thus far this season.

Shesterkin is itching to become the highest-paid goalie in NHL history and has played like it, allowing two goals or fewer in each of his wins this season. Bobrovsky has been scrambling in his first handful of games, though hasn’t had much help from in front of him either.

Edge: New York Rangers

Special teams

New York Rangers:
Power play – 31.6%
Penalty kill – 86.4%

Florida Panthers:
Power play – 19.0%
Penalty kill – 85.7%

The Rangers special teams is what ultimately determined their success or demise last season, especially in the playoffs. They relied heavily on the man-advantage, and had a stalwart penalty kill. What’s different this season is that their 5v5 play has been excellent to this point, and their special teams remain at an elite level.

Florida’s penalty kill is right there with the Rangers, but their power play has had a hard time clicking at just 19 percent. Certainly something to keep an eye on for Florida going forward.

Edge: New York Rangers

So, while the Rangers have dominated in just about every category to start the season, the Panthers are the team with a fresh championship banner hanging at Amerant Bank Arena.

This game will be a great test to see where New York stacks up against the defending champs, and the team who eliminated them just six wins away from their ultimate goal. The way this season has started, this actually might be a measuring stick game for the Panthers, because, right now, the Rangers are as good as they come in the NHL.