Florida Panthers vs. New York Rangers Pick and Prediction – May 22, 2024

FLORIDA PANTHERS VS. NEW YORK RANGERS EXPERT PICK AND PREDICTION – May 22, 2024 — The Eastern Conference finals begin, with the two strongest teams in the conference squaring off. Both teams come off a six-game series win in the previous round, so rest shouldn’t be an issue.

The biggest question here is, can New York solve the Florida defense? The Panthers boasted the top defense in the NHL in the regular season, and they haven’t shown any signs of breaking down through the first two rounds. Granted, Florida barely had to break a sweat in the first round against Tampa Bay, but the same is true for New York in round 1 against Washington.

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And the Rangers did show a few signs of breaking down in their previous series. Carolina made New York’s defense look tired in Game 4 and Game 5, and the Hurricanes would have done it again in Game 6 if not for the heroics of Chris Kreider. New York has been the East’s best team all season, but the Rangers got away from the things that worked over the back half of the last series.

Florida is too good for New York to win this series without its power play. The Rangers rolled with the extra man for three games against Carolina, then short-circuited in the losses. New York has to get the Panthers to the box, not exactly an easy prospect.

The Odds

Puck Drop

When: Wednesday, May 22 at 8 p.m. EST

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York

TV: ESPN

Public Bets: 65% on New York

Public Money: 59% on New York

Odds courtesy of DraftKings, as of May 22nd, 2024

Florida Panthers vs. New York Rangers In-Season Trends

If you expected these games to be lower scoring, nobody would blame you given these teams’ defenses. But it’s actually gone the other way, as the over has cashed in nine of the past 10 meetings. Three of the past four featured seven goals exactly, while the other meeting this season saw a 4-2 Florida win.

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There’s not been anything to separate the teams in head-to-head matchups. The teams have split their past four meetings 2-2, with both teams winning once in the other’s building. The Panthers have won two out of three this year, but neither side has much of an edge. This could be a seven-gamer.

Players to Watch

The goaltenders are going to play a huge role in this series. Igor Shesterkin won the battle last time against Frederik Andersen, but he’s up against an equal in Sergei Bobrovsky. Shesterkin has been the best goaltender in the playoffs, while Bobrovsky has allowed two goals or less eight times this postseason.

Whichever side gets more chances and better goaltending is likely to win this series. Both teams believe in their netminder; the question is which one meets the moment.

The Pick

How much will the time away from the ice help the Rangers? New York was clearly tied in the Carolina series, but has now had a few days to recover and get back on track. The Rangers have been the best team in the playoffs when healthy, and Game 1s usually go to the stronger team overall.

Shesterkin has been the better goaltender and New York has a higher ceiling than Florida. I’m going to guess that rest actually means something here. If that’s the case, the Blueshirts look more like themselves and get an early edge.