The Rangers hadn’t trailed in a series this postseason, until the Panthers made themselves right at home in the Concrete Jungle to kick off the Eastern Conference Final.
It took 10 games and two rounds to get here, but the Blueshirts have finally met their match in a Florida team that became the first club to shut them out this postseason with an empty-net-goal-abetted 3-0 win in Game 1 Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, landing the first blow in the fight for a Stanley Cup Final berth.
There was a lot left to be desired regarding the Rangers’ play in this one.
It’s not that the Rangers didn’t generate scoring chances, but there was a sort of disconnect that diminished the overall quality of their opportunities, which also led to self-inflicted mistakes the Panthers almost always took advantage of.
Florida was just as nasty and productive below the hash marks as it’s known to be.
The Panthers put pressure on the Rangers in all situations.
It had the Blueshirts looking discombobulated at times.
Head coach Peter Laviolette started grasping for straws when it came to line combinations midway through the second period, when the Rangers trailed 1-0 after a first-period goal from Matthew Tkachuk.
There was even a Kid Line sighting with Alexis Lafreniere, Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko reuniting for the first time since Chytil went down 10 games into the season — in which they logged a grand total of 5:46 together.
None of the changes had the desired effect as the Panthers kept the Rangers from finding any sort of groove to their game.
The Rangers still had a chance late in the third period, which was made possible by a successful challenge for goalie interference on Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s goal less than halfway through the final 20 minutes.
It kept the home team’s deficit at one with 11:15 left in regulation, but the Rangers couldn’t net the equalizer before Alexis Lafreniere inadvertently tipped in Carter Verhaeghe’s shot later in the final frame.
Even when the Panthers were penalized for having too many men on the ice to give the Rangers a power play at the 13:11 mark of the third, their third of the night, they didn’t have their usual special stuff with the man-advantage. It marked their fifth game without a power-play goal this postseason.
The Rangers had serious trouble getting the puck out of their own end, especially in the first period, when they were credited with seven turnovers. It certainly played a direct factor in the team’s multitude of failed clearing attempts.
And when they lost the puck, it was consistently difficult to get back as the Panthers hustled below the hash marks to maintain possession. Tkachuk ultimately scored the first goal of the game on a wrister off the rush that sent the Rangers into the first intermission down 1-0.
Both before and after the first goal of the series, however, the Rangers generated some quality scoring opportunities in transition.
The Panthers have been a team that can outscore most opponents, but under second-year head coach Paul Maurice, their defensive efforts have been much improved.
Such was on full display Wednesday night at MSG, in front of fans clad in blue that so badly wanted to cheer for at least one goal.
They’ll have to wait for Game 2 on Friday.
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